


Mine

by RimiRee



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Character Death, Death, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Family Betrayal - Freeform, Humor, Mild Sexual Content, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-09 09:26:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 59,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12884919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RimiRee/pseuds/RimiRee
Summary: Daughter of a Niflheim soldier, you were sent out to Tenebrae to spy on the Nox Fleuret family and their involvement with the Lucis Caelum family. However, after learning the truth about Niflheim, you betray them. Your journey of revenge begins after learning of the death of your adoptive sister, Lunafreya, and your childhood friend Noctis Lucis Caelum.





	1. Young and Dumb

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at summaries but oh well. Please enjoy this new story!

            “Do you understand your duty as my daughter?” The deep voice resonated throughout your body as you nodded your head at him. “We will come for you after the receive the okay, understood?”

            “Yes, daddy,” You saluted the man decked out in Niflheim’s military uniform. Inhaling a deep breath, you watched as the train that would take you to Tenebrae pull into the loading dock. Dropping from your salute, you wrapped your arms around your father’s waist. A smile enlightened your face as you felt him ruffle your hair before separating himself from you.

            “You’re going to do great, kiddo. One day you’ll become a great military leader to our country just like your old man.”

            “And like General Glauca?!” You excitedly asked as you looked up at the man. He let out a chuckle before nodding his head.

            “Now boarding all passengers in travel to Tenebrae,” The speaker said on the intercom. You looked away from your dad and picked up your suitcases. He nodded at you as you bowed to him and made your way over to the line that was forming outside of the train doors.

            “Remember your duty, Y/N!” Your dad called out to you. You turned around and smiled at him before turning your attention back to the line in front of you. Deeply inhaling, you blinked back the tears that were forming in your eyes. You have never been separated from your father nor have you ever left your beloved country of Niflheim before, but, the emperor and your father were depending on you and you would not let them down.

            “Next!” The guy checking tickets announced as you walked up to him. You watched as he checked off your ticket and hand it back to you.

            “I won’t let you down…” You whispered to yourself.

~!~

            “Lunafreya, this is Y/N L/N! She will live here with us for a while,” Queen Sylva introduced you to the princess as you stood in front of her. You blinked at the beautiful blonde in front of you. You’ve only heard stories about the princess and her family and pictured her to be mean and evil, but you didn’t get that vibe from her as the 12-year-old girl immediately ran up to you and engulfed you in a hug.

            “It’s an honor to meet you!” She said as she squeezed you. “I pray to the Gods that we can become the best of friends – sisters even!”

            You blinked confusedly as you awkwardly returned her hug. “Um… you too?”

            “I’ll leave you two alone! If you need anything at all, don’t hesistate to let us or one of the servants know, Y/N,” Queen Sylva smiled down at you. “And welcome to the Nox Fleuret family.”

            You bowed to the queen as she exited the room, leaving only you and Lunafreya alone. Hesitantly, you walked over to the bed that was supposed to be yours and took a seat. Glancing around the room, you couldn’t help but notice how almost everything was white and pure looking. You were mostly surrounded by dark surroundings in Niflheim and, to your surprise, the change of color was refreshing.

            “So, do you remember anything about your parents?” the princess asked as she plopped herself beside you on your bed, slightly startling you.

            “Eh?” You blinked confusedly at her for a moment before remembering the fake background story the military told you to recite in case any questions were asked. “Oh! Ah, not really. I just remember the daemons chasing me and then everything going black…”

            Lunafreya frowned before placing a comforting hand on yours. “That’s really tough for a nine-year-old to experience. I’m so sorry for your loss but please know you are safe here. And that one day, the chosen king will save us all from the darkness and daemons. I’ll be sure to see he fulfills his duty.”

            “Thank you…” You drifted off as you looked at the hand on top of yours. Lunafreya had a motherly like aura to her for only being 12 and it was comforting. Your father warned you not to trust the Nox Fleurets but, somehow, you felt like you could trust Princess Lunafreya. You immediately felt bad for lying to her. Upon entering Tenebrae, your new life story consisted of being a recently orphaned child. Your parents were attacked by daemons one night outside the skirts of Niflheim’s inner city. You barely escaped the attack but was saved by some Niflheim soldiers and was sent to a hospital that felt it was best for you to heal in Tenebrae. Upon hearing the story, Queen Sylva immediately decided to take you in to care for you as her own. Unknowingly, the queen fell right into Niflheim’s and the emperor’s plan.

            “Have you met my brother, yet? He may seem slightly cold at first, but, I believe he’ll love you! C’mon! Let’s go see him!” Lunafreya grinned at you as she hopped off the bed and ran towards the door, motioning for you to follow her. You grinned slightly as you hopped off the bed to follow her.

            Somehow, you could get used to this new life.

~!~

            “Lunafreya, Y/N, there’s someone I’d like you to meet…” Queen Sylva said as the king of Lucis appeared before you. Both you and Lunafreya instantly froze at the sight of the powerful king. Lunafreya and Ravus have told you many stories about the king in the past six months of you living with them. Of course, you already knew about the king and his duties as you were trained on the Lucis family in training at Niflheim.

            “He’s so tall…” You whispered over to Lunafreya as she stared wide eyed at the king.

            “Girls…” Sylva frowned slightly at the both of you. You both gasped before quickly bowing before the king.

            “It’s a pleasure, King Regis,” Lunafreya said as she stayed in bow position. You lifted your head slightly as you heard the squeak of a wheelchair. Standing up fully, you noticed a kid about your age, shyly looking down at the ground.

            “Who’s he – ow!” You said as Lunafreya elbowed you. Getting her hint, you went back into your bow. “I’m sorry.”

            The king chuckled. “It’s okay, girls. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lunafreya and Y/N. I’ve heard plenty of you two. This is my son, Noctis. Noctis, introduce yourself.”

            You lifted from your bow and watched as the boy looked at you and Lunafreya. His eyes met yours briefly before immediately shifting away. Suddenly feeling slightly shy, you began to reach out towards Lunafreya only to find the that the young girl had already made her way over to the prince.

            “It’s okay. Hi, Prince Noctis! I’m Lunafreya! I hope we can become great friends!” She grinned at the boy. A blush appeared on his face as he turned away from the blonde young woman.

            “L-Luna…fryya?” Noctis struggled to say her name. You let out a quiet chuckle which caused everyone to look over at you. Taking a deep breath, you walked over to the prince and Lunafreya.

            “Luna _freya_ ,” You emphasized the ‘Freya.’ “Say it with me. Luna- _frey-ah_.”

            He turned his attention to you before cutely tilting his head. “L-Luna…”

            “Luna’s fine. You can call me Luna,” Lunafreya smiled gently at the young boy. He excitedly nodded his head at her which caused a small blush to appear on Lunafreya’s face. At the sight of this, you felt a pang of jealousy surge through your heart. Grasping to where your heart is, you looked sadly on as Lunafreya – _Luna_ – and Noctis smiled at each other.

~!~

            Noctis and Lunafreya spent a lot of time together after his arrival. It had been almost a month and slowly you felt like you were no longer a major part of Lunafreya’s life anymore. The friend you used to roam the castle with, make flower crowns with, and annoy Ravus was only attending to Noctis now. Everything revolved Noctis. Of course, you shouldn’t let this get to you as you weren’t even supposed to befriend the Nox Fleuret family in the first place, however, it was sort of hard to ignore Lunafreya who treated you like a little sister. However, all of the attention you originally received from her was now directed towards Noctis and educating him about his future. You had to admit, the prince was sort of bratty and didn’t seem to fully comprehend his duty as the chosen king. You’d often scoff whenever Lunafreya tried to tell him of their respective duties and he’d just stare at her blankly. It was just as how your father described the Lucis Caelum family to you; they were oblivious to their surroundings and history and only cared for themselves. Your father hated the family and maybe because of this hatred is why Prince Noctis was a complete annoyance to you.

            Noctis did try to befriend you on multiple occasions but you’d brush him off. He’d try to get you to draw with him or join Lunafreya and him in a game of cards. However, you always gave him some lame excuse of being too tired or going to see what Ravus was up to. He’d give you a saddened look but you just ignored it. You couldn’t lose focus on your duty. Now that he and his father were here, it wouldn’t be long before you’d be reunited with your own family.

            However, one day, you were caught off guard when Noctis rolled into you and Lunafreya’s room, searching for the latter.

            “Where’s Luna?”

            “I don’t know a Luna…” You nonchalantly said as you flipped through a page of the Cosmic book Lunafreya kept in her room.

            “L-Luna… fry…”

            “She’s not a potato,” You rolled your eyes at the eight-year-old’s failed attempt of pronouncing the princess’s name. Sitting up, you sent a small glare at the prince. “Seriously, you’ve been here for almost a month now and you still can’t say _Lunafreya_.”

            “Hey! I’m trying! It’s a hard name!”

            “Hard name for stupid kids!”

            “Hey! What’s your problem with me, anyway?!” Noctis angrily rolled over to you in his wheelchair. You looked down at him before rolling your eyes.

            “I don’t like bratty kids who don’t understand their future…” You frowned.

            “I do understand! I’m the chosen king, after all!”

            “I think the Gods made a mistake…” You said as you flicked Noctis’s forehead, causing him to flinch in pain. “I guess even the Gods aren’t perfect…”

            “Take that back!” Noctis shouted as he struggled to stand from is wheelchair. “Why do you dislike me so much?”

            You pushed him back down into his chair, much to his dismay. Leaning forward, you placed your forehead towards his, glaring at him. The frown deepened at as you watched the young boy’s face turn red. “Lunafreya is _mine_ , understood? You won’t steal my only friend…”

            Pushing yourself away from Noctis, you grabbed the book off your bed and made your way to the door. Half expecting him to follow, you paused when you heard him begin to speak.

            “Luna’s my friend, too. I’m not trying to steal her… I want all three of us to be friends…” He quietly spoke as tears filled his eyes. A pang hit your heart as you heard this. Turning back around, you sadly looked at the boy as he wept.

            “We can’t… be friends, Prince Noctis…” You said after a few moments of silence and quickly exited the room, his words floating around in your head.

~!~

            You tripped over your feet slightly as you held onto Lunafreya’s hand as King Regis ran towards his car with Noctis in his arms. Turning around to look behind you, you gasped in horror as you saw the chaos that was happening around you. Tenebrae citizens were running in fear as Niflheim soldiers attacked. Tenebrae’s own military tried to fend off the intruders but with little success as you watch them fall down one by one like dominos.

            “C’mon Y/N!” Lunafreya yelled to you as you turned your attention back to the front of you. You used your free hand to cover one of your ears as shots and screams filled them. Why was this happening? Why were they attacking Tenebrae and the royal families? Your didn’t mention any of this would happen when he sent you away to spy on the families months earlier. You would have never agreed to this if you knew the lives of innocent people were at stake. The sound of one particularly loud gunshot caused you to whip your head back towards the sound. Just as you did, you saw Queen Sylva fall dead to the ground with General Glauca looking down at her corpse. Ravus screamed in horror causing Lunafreya to turn around. She gasped as she temporarily stopped running, tripping King Regis slightly in the process.

            “Luna, Y/N! Come on-“ Noctis was cut off from his words as he saw the general begin to aim his gun towards Lunafreya. Regis gripped tighter on Lunafreya’s hand as he urged her to continue running. Meanwhile, you let Lunafreya’s hand slip from yours as you stood behind to watch her be dragged away.

            “Y/N! Y/N what are you doing?!” She shouted at you, tears flowing from her eyes as she watched you remove a small dagger that you had stolen from the Nox Fleuret’s armory prior to the attack. You inhaled a deep breath before running towards the general just as he was about to pull the trigger at Lunafreya. Without hesitation, you swiftly stabbed him in his upper thigh, causing the gun to go off beside your foot, just barely missing. He seethed in anger as he gripped your neck and held you up into the air. You struggled to remove his hands but his grip was too strong.

            “Are you one of them, now? Have you forgotten your duty, brat?” He spat as his hands continued to clench your neck. You could feel the air slowly escaping your body as you desperately tried hitting his arm to let you go.

            “They aren’t evil like you teach! Leave them alone! Leave Lunafreya and Ravus alone! Leave _us_ alone!” You managed to get out. After hearing the words, the general threw you down to the ground. You deeply inhaled and coughed as oxygen returned to your lungs. With stinging eyes, you watched as the general removed the blade you had stabbed him with from his thigh and limp over to you. Blood gushed from his wound but it didn’t seem to faze him. He roughly brought you up to your feet only for you to notice you were surrounded by Niflheim soldiers, all aiming their weapons at you. You glanced nervously over to a particular soldier in a uniform you recognized as your father’s. His gun was slightly lowered than the rest. He wouldn’t harm you. You knew he wouldn’t let Glauca harm you. He wouldn’t… would he?

            Before you could call his name out for help, you felt the sting of a knife on the side of your neck. Screaming in pain, you attempted to bring your hands up to your neck but your arms were pulled behind you as two soldiers held you in place.

            “Always remember you betrayed us,” Glauca said as he made over the first one on your neck, forming an ‘x.’ The soldiers dropped you to the ground as your hands quickly went to your neck to stop the blood that was steadily trickling from the wound. “I should kill you.”

            “Dad-dy,” You coughed as tears streamed down your face. “Help!”

            Your cries for help went ignored by your father as he properly repositioned his gun towards you, ready to shoot at any moment. Just as you looked away, you noticed Glauca aiming his gun right at the middle of your forehead, finger ready to pull the trigger at any moment. Sobbing, you closed your eyes, embracing yourself for your impending death. So this was the end, huh? Images of Queen Sylva mothering you like her own flashed through your head along with Lunafreya who you would often help attend her garden in the courtyard of the castle. Ravus teasing you like an older brother would flashed through your head. In these last moments, you realized you weren’t a L/N of Niflheim. You were a Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae. They were your family. More of a family than your father who brainwashed you into committing evil acts for your country.

            “Stop it!” Your eyes opened immediately to reveal Lunafreya standing in front of you, arms outstretched. “If you kill her then you have to kill me, too!”

            “Lunafreya!” You called to her in protest. Why wasn’t she with the king and Noctis? Why did she come back?!

            The general laughed aloud causing the other soldiers surrounding you guys to join in. “So be it…”

            Your mouth dropped open as Lunafreya positioned her arms in a surrendering position. “I warn you, however, if you kill me you will see nothing but darkness for the rest of your lives. I am the last living oracle and without me, your lives are all doomed.”

            Everyone gasped at Lunafreya’s words as they all slowly lowered their weapons in confusion. The general seemed to contemplate her words before lowering his weapon. You screamed as you saw the general swiftly grab Lunafreya by her arm and roughly throw her towards the ground.

            “There’s no need to protect a traitor, young oracle,” He said as he repositioned the gun to your head. Tears running down your face and your hands still clutching your bleeding neck, you once again readied yourself to be shot dead.

            “General! Let her go!” The sound of Ravus’s voice filled your ears. “In exchange for her life, I will join the empire to rid of the Lucis Caelum family.”

            “Ravus, you can’t!” Lunafreya shouted.

            “Shut up, Lunafreya. This is adult business…” Ravus said, his eyes never leaving the general’s. “Because of _them,_ my mother is dead. I want them dead as well…”

            “Noctis didn’t do anything! Regis didn’t do this! Ravus-“

            “Lunafreya, stop talking!” Ravus snapped his head to the crying blonde. He then turned his attention back to Glauca. “Do we have a deal? Leave my sister and Y/N alone in exchange for my compliance?”

            The general seemed to think it over before slowly nodding his head. “We’ll have to get approval of the emperor, but as for them, lock them away in the castle.”

            Immediately soldiers went over to pick up you and Lunafreya. You watched in pure heartbreak as Ravus began to follow Glauca to his ship. Why did all of this happen?

            “Y/N…” The strict voice of your father entered your ears. Tears swelled in your eyes again as he roughly grabbed one side of you with another soldier on the other.

            “Daddy…”

            “I am no longer your father. You are a traitor. I should’ve known better than to trust a child. You’ve failed your duty. From now on, you are no longer a L/N, you are a Nox Fleuret,” Your father said as he wordlessly followed the other soldiers who were carrying a struggling Lunafreya.

            “I’m no longer a L/N…” You quietly repeated. “I am a Nox Fleuret…”

            With those words, you never spoke to nor saw your father again.

~!~

            _Eight years later…_

            “Arf!” Lunafreya’s dog, Umbra, wagged his tail happily at you as you sat out in the garden, watering the flowers of Tenebrae. Lunafreya had fell ill and was unable to tend to them today, so you offered to do it for her.

            “Hey boy!” You grinned as you leaned down to scratch behind his ears. He barked happily as he closed his eyes from the sensation of your touch on his fur. As your hands trailed down, you felt a leather object attached to him. Your hands immediately dropped as you looked at the brown notebook attached safely under Umbra’s collar. It was from Prince Noctis to Lunafreya. You frowned as you unfastened the notebook from Umbra and ran your thumbs across the leathery surface.

            “For Lunafreya, huh?” You asked Umbra as the dog seemed to have nodded his head at you. Looking towards the castle doors in case Lunafreya happened to be standing at the door, you cautiously unfastened the lock on the notebook and flipped to page that Noctis had responded to Lunafreya’s previous message.

            _I’m fine. High school is… high school? I made a new friend, Prompto. He’s great… how’s Y/N…?_

            You let out a small smile as you ran your hand over your name. He hadn’t forgotten you. You didn’t usually read the messages between Noctis and Lunafreya and you never inquired her about it. Most of the time, Lunafreya would update you on the prince’s life in Insomnia and you’d brush it off as if you didn’t care for the prince. Honestly, as a nine-year-old, you couldn’t stand the boy who was a year younger, but, after hearing him frantically call out to you after you let go of Lunafreya’s hand during Niflheim’s attack, you finally felt like his words were true. He wanted to be friends with you. He cared for you though he was shy and only seemed to pay attention to Lunafreya. As a child, you were clingy to Lunafreya and thought Noctis was trying to steal her away, however, as a 17-year-old, you realized he just wanted to befriend you both but you shut him out. It warmed your heart to see the now 16-year-old prince asked about you. You wondered just how many times he’s asked about you before. Curiousty getting the best of you, you flipped through some more pages.

            _How’s Y/N?_

_Does Y/N have a personal tutor like you?_

_Does she still have her X scar?_

You let out a chuckle as you read a message he had to of had composed when he was about 11 or 12.

            _Whoa, Y/N’s like a war hero. The scar proves it all!_

            You brought your hand up to the permanent ‘x’ scar on your neck and traced the lines. It was a grim reminder of the day your father and country left you behind and declared you an enemy along with the Nox Fleuret and Lucis Caelum families. The empire wanted to take your life but after Lunafreya and Ravus saved you, they decided they would still control you by making you Lunafreya’s guardian. You had the strength and knowledge of a person of Niflheim and with your knowledge, they assumed you could keep Lunafreya in order. Niflheim felt as if they had won; they not only had you but Ravus Nox Fleuret as well, a high commander of Niflheim.

            “The prince and oracle will be saddened to see you snooping through their personal conversations,” The voice of Gentiana startled you. Immediately you shut the book and grinned nervously at her.

            “I was just… curious as to how Noct was doing, is all.”

            “Does the oracle not update you on his highness’s life with each message?” Gentiana frowned slightly at you.

            “…” She had you there. Lunafreya always made sure you knew of Noctis’s status. “I was  - I just wanted to know what he was saying, is all. He asked about me.”

            “As the oracle is someone dear to the chosen king, you also hold a place in his heart…”

            You scoffed at her words as you reattached the notebook to Umbra. “Sure, I do. He probably remembers me as the traitor of him and Lunafreya’s family.”

            “Do not think so lowly of his highness as he holds you in high regards. You will need him before he needs you in this lifetime of yours.”

            You waved the messenger off as you directed Umbra to the castle. “Sure, sure. Did the Gods tell you to say that to me? Which one was it this time? Leviathan? Titan? I know those two are particularly _fond_ of me.”

            “Shiva.”

            “Shiva…” You rolled your eyes. “That’s a new one. Well, tell Shiva I do not need the prince and will _never_ need the prince.”

            Gentiana closed her eyes as she clasped her hands together. “I cannot deliver such a message to the almighty Shiva, but, I will let her know of your personal feelings.”

            “Great,” You said as you returned to attending the flowers.

            “The chosen king and you are very much alike…” Gentiana said as she turned away from you.

            “That we’re both brats? Yeah, I hear what the Niffs say about me all the time…”

            “No… in that you don’t truly understand your duty in this life.”

            With that, Gentiana disappeared as you stared at the blue flowers beneath you. Duty. You were tired of hearing that word. Scoffing at her words, you returned to the flowers.

            What good is having a duty if you always let everyone around you down?

 


	2. Insomnia has Fallen

You lazily laid in the sunroom of the Nox Fleuret castle, casually stroking the back of Umbra’s head. He had just returned from yet another journey from Insomnia to deliver a message to Lunafreya from Noctis. Letting out a sigh, you used your free hand to cover your eyes from the blinding sun that shone within the room. At any moment now, Lunafreya would come waltzing into the room, notebook pressed tightly to her chest, and a bright smile upon her face. She usually walked around the castle with a gloomy look but on the days Umbra returned with a new message, it was almost as if the world was once again a better place for the 21-year-old woman despite being under lockdown in her own home by Niflheim forces.

At least she was happy, however. You would give anything to continue to see that smile on her face. The Gods and everyone who has ever run into you knew that you thought of the world of Lady Lunafreya. She was your best friend – your sister. Technically, you weren’t supposed to communicate with the oracle as often as you did. However, Lunafreya often stood up for you against the soldiers and commanded that you still be treated the same as when you were nine and living happily with her and her family. You both still shared a room, ate meals together, tended the garden, and strolled the castle hallways just as you did as children. Niflheim wanted you dead, there was no doubt in your mind, but as long as the oracle protected over you, they couldn’t do anything.

Still, you sometimes wanted to be the one to protect Lunafreya. You were perfectly capable. When you were 12, Ravus came to you one day in secret, offering to train you in combat. He said it was to not only defend yourself, but Lunafreya as well, in case Niflheim ever turned back on their word of keeping you and the oracle out of harm. You picked up his lessons well and was fully capable of taking down an army of about 15 men by the age of 15. Sometimes, you’d sneak out of your bedroom at night to practice to become stronger.

“Y/N!” The sound of Lunafreya’s delicate voice filled your ears as she shuffled her way towards you. You uncovered your eyes and sat up and, sure enough, that bright smile was plastered on her face and the notebook was being hugged tightly against her chest.

“Ah, hello!” You grinned at her as she plopped down beside you, now resting the notebook in her lap. She turned towards and you could’ve sworn you saw her blue eyes twinkle. “Another message from the royal brat?”

Lunafreya’s smile dropped at your comment. “I think the only royal _brat_ here is you.”

You shrugged as you tossed your head back on the couch. “Mh, last time I checked, I’m only a disowned child.”

“Y/N…”

“Kidding, kidding. What did lover boy say this time?”

“We’re not lovers, simply friends,” Lunafreya playfully hit you in the leg, causing you to bring your head back up.

“Oh Luna,” You mocked a young Noctis’s voice, “How I miss you dearly in these dreaded walls of Insomnia! When will we be reunited, my love?”

“Y/N, that is not nice.”

“Make sure to invite me to the wedding,” You jokingly smirked at her as her pale face turned a vibrant red.

“I came here to simply show you a picture!”

“A picture? Of what?” You arched a brow as you watched Lunafreya pull a photograph from the notebook. “Oh Gods, what did he send you a picture of?”

“See for yourself,” She grinned as she handed you the picture. Taking the picture from her hand, your eyes scanned over it. It was two boys – one blond and the other with raven hair – standing in front of a schoolyard in uniform. The blond held up a peace sign as his other arm wrapped around the raven-haired boy’s neck whom was smiling shyly at the camera. Your eyes widened at the darker haired boy. Though you haven’t seen him in nine years, you immediately recognized him as Prince Noctis. Your heart leapt at his picture. He had surely grown into a handsome young man.  

Shaking the thoughts of Noctis from your head, you nonchalantly handed the picture back to Lunafreya. “Why’d he dye his hair blond?”

“No, silly, he’s the darker haired one. Isn’t he handsome…” The smile returned to Lunafreya’s face as she mentioned the prince. “What I wouldn’t give to see him again…”

“Then let’s go,” You turned your body to face her. Her eyes widened before shaking her head and placing the photo gently back into the notebook.

“It’s impossible. We’re both stuck here until who knows when!”

“We can make it possible,” You smirked.

“Y/N no… it’d put our lives in danger…”

“Don’t you want to see Noctis again? I mean, you’re obviously infatuated with him-“

“Am not!” Lunafreya gasped.

“Lunafreya…” You frowned deeply as she denied her feelings.

“I mean… I don’t even know what I mean…”

“Exactly,” You snapped your fingers at the blonde woman. “So, let’s go to Insomnia.”

“I’m afraid I cannot…” Lunafreya sighed.

“What are you afraid of?”

“They won’t kill me for trying to escape… but you?” She looked over at you, tears appearing in the corner of her eyes.

You let out a heavy sigh at her words. It was true, if caught sneaking out – especially with Lunafreya – then it’d be the end of you. You were useless. A disgraced citizen to Niflheim who failed her country and leader. With you gone, they’d probably be able to have more control over Lunafreya. Honestly, they were probably waiting for you to mess up.

“They won’t kill me… I promise you…” You smiled gently at her as you placed a hand over hers. However, she still shook her head at you.

“I will not comply… I’m sorry. If the Gods want Noctis and I together… then it will happen in due time…”

Letting out a defeated sigh, you leaned back into the couch. “If you say so…”

~!~

_Two years later…_

A 19-year-old you casually walked the hall back to your bedroom. It was late in the afternoon and you wanted to take a short nap before Lunafreya and you were called to dinner. Lunafreya was already in the room, studying up on some oracle notes her ancestors left for her. As you got closer to the bedroom, you passed a group of Niflheim soldiers, armed with guns, walking in unison down the hall. As you passed one of them, you saw him glare slightly at you through the opening for his eyes on his helmet. Feeling slightly taken aback, you returned the frowned and sharply turned your head away from the soldier. It seemed as the years progressed, tensions between Niflheim and Lucis were increasing and that meant stricter enforcements for Lunafreya and you. Now, you two weren’t even allowed in Lunafreya’s garden after sundown. When leaving a room, you were required to inform a solder on duty where your next destination was. You, personally, was also banned from traveling with Lunafreya on her activities as oracle, where’d she heal the infected people across the countries. Ravus claimed it was because they feared you’d turn against them again and try to escape with Lunafreya to Insomnia. You laughed grimly when he told you this and mentioned if you wanted to kidnap Lunafreya, you would’ve done so years ago.

As you reached the doors to your bedroom, you stopped as you heard the voices of Gentiana and Lunafreya inside. Deciding to eavesdrop, you gently pressed an ear against the door.

“What would I do to see him again. I miss him so much. The messages… they’re not enough. I want to hear his voice, embrace him, tell him how much he means to me…”

“It’s only a matter of time…” Gentiana replied to the oracle.

“But when? You’ve been saying that for the past three years now and nothing! My heart yearns for someone I cannot be with. Wasn’t it you that said the oracle was to stand beside the chosen king? Then why am I not beside him?” Lunafreya’s voice began to rise as frustration overtook her.

“It is the duty of the oracle to stand beside the chosen one. You will know when that time comes…” Gentiana gently replied.

“Why us… why? Why can’t we just be normal people and live normal lives together? I’m tired of being cooped up in this castle as if I’m some prisoner! Why? I just want to be with Noctis… it’s all I ever wanted…”

Your heart dropped at the sound of frustration and sadness in Lunafreya’s voice. You wish there was something you could do to make her feel better but there was nothing. Nothing and no one could make her happy besides being beside the one she loved. Letting out a heavy sigh, you walked away from the door.

Lunafreya has given you so much in your lifetime. You wanted to return the favor and if that meant risking your life to see her happiness then so be it.

“Lunafreya Nox Fleuret…” You said as you solemnly walked towards your next destined area in the castle. “I guess you’re… no longer _mine_.”

~!~

            “I’ll be back in a couple of days. Make sure to eat properly and try not to anger the guards,” Lunafreya slightly scolded you as she closed her suitcase. You were lounging on her bed, watching the oracle and former princess pack for yet another trip to rid people of the plague. This time she was just going to the city in Tenebrae but she wouldn’t be back for a couple of days because of the long distance it was from the city to the castle. You had asked one of the leaders of the Niflheim soldiers if you could possibly tag along this time since, technically, you weren’t leaving the country and it was your 20th birthday tomorrow. You hoped they’d take this into consideration and let you travel along with Lunafreya, however, they just laughed in your face.

            “Me? Anger the guards? Why, Lady Lunafreya, I’d never!” You playfully smirked at her. The frown that was already plastered on Lunafreya’s face deepened.

            “Y/N, I’m serious,” she said as she looked towards the closed bedroom door. Swiftly, she leaned in closer to you and lowered her voice. “I have a feeling Niflheim is planning something and I don’t know what it is. However, I do know I fear for your life…”

            “I can handle myself. Our big bro taught me all the tricks, did he not?” You patted the slight bulge on the waist of your pants. Lunafreya’s eyes glanced at it and immediately knew you were keeping one of your many daggers hidden there.

            “Still, I don’t want to come back to here you’ve passed at their hands. And Ravus… he works for them… be careful on how much you trust him… I fear they’ve brainwashed my – _our ­–_ brother.”

            “Lunafreya,” You let out a heavy sigh as you hopped off her bed and placed both hands on the petite woman’s shoulders and turned her to face you. “I will be fine. Stop being so protective of me. When will you let me protect you for a change?”

            “Y/N, you’ve-“

            “Besides, if you just leave your little messenger here with me, won’t I be okay,” You looked past Lunafreya and at Gentiana who stood next to the large window in your shared bedroom. Gentiana simply stared back at you with no expression. Typical of the divine messenger.

            “I would if I could, but it’s her duty to stay by my side.”

            “That’s okay,” You let go of Lunafreya’s shoulders and shrugged. “I don’t wanna hear her nag to me about how much the Gods hate me anyway.

            “The Gods do not hate you. They simply want what’s best for you as they do everyone else…” Gentiana spoke.

            You just rolled your eyes. “Did Shiva tell you this?”

            “Yes.”

            “Tell Shiva she needs to worry about her love affair with Ifrit-“

            “Y/N!” Lunafreya raised her voice at you, causing you to jump slightly. Sometimes what you said to Gentiana were out of line and that’s when Lunafreya would turn motherly-like on you. Gentiana simply bowed to you both before disappearing. She normally did that when trying to not lose her composure. You were positive if she wasn’t a messenger for the Gods and didn’t mind losing the respect of Lunafreya, she’d kick your ass.

            “Sorry, sorry. I just enjoy getting under her skin, is all,” You smiled apologetically at Lunafreya who slowly began to soften her frown. Shaking her head at you, she reached into her breast pocket of her dress and cupped something in her hand without you noticing.

            “I’m afraid I won’t be able to wish you a happy birthday until I come back from the city.”

            “It’s okay. I know you’ve got duties to fulfil as oracle,” You shrugged as you sat back on the bed, avoiding her eye contact. Secretly, you were upset Lunafreya would be missing your birthday tomorrow. It was only once that you’d turn 20. You would officially become an adult tomorrow. No longer a teen that people looked down upon. No longer someone Lunafreya would feel she’d have to protect often. You hoped that, finally, it’d be your turn to protect Lunafreya in your adult years. You owed so much to her. You loved her so much.

            “I sincerely apologize… but, I got you a present!” She smiled at you as she rushed over to you, grabbing your hands and placing a small object. You looked at her unsurely as she nodded towards your hands. Glancing down at your hands, you noticed a beautiful ring in the shape of the flowers of Tenebrae – the flowers Lunafreya and you often tended in her garden – sylleblossoms. Your mouth fell open as you admired the ring’s beauty.

            “…How?”

            “Remember when we were kids and you wished you had your own crown weave from sylleblossoms like us? Well, even though we’re no longer royalty, I thought this ring weaved from the flowers would work just as well! It took some time to make but I do hope you like it!”

            A tear fell from your face as you immediately stood up and engulfed Lunafreya in a hug. “I love it. Thank you so much.”

            Lunafreya embraced you back as a tear of her own fell from her face. “With this ring, know that I am with you always; that I look over you, no matter how far apart we are from one another. You are my dear sister. Our bond will never be broken.”

            “This sucks, all I gave you for your birthday was a lame homemade card,” You laughed as tears continued to fall down your face.

            “And I cherish that card,” Lunafreya hugged you tighter before letting you go. “I’m afraid I must go now.”

            “Be safe. Come back in one piece,” You smiled at her.

            “You be safe, too,” She returned the smile before grabbing her suitcase and exiting the room. As she shut the door, you glanced down at the ring. Another tear rolled down your face as you gripped it tightly.

            “Our bond will never be broken. I’ll never betray you. I’ll make sure you’ll always be happy… even if I lose my life in doing so,” You gulped as you placed the ring on your right ring finger. “You are my only family…”

~!~

_A year later (Four days before Lunafreya’s 24 th birthday and six days before your 21st)_

 

            “I see you’ve been practicing,” Ravus tried to regain his breath as he laid sprawled on the grassy field underneath him. You used the edge of your t-shirt to wipe the sweat dripping down your face before running over to the 28-year-old. Grinning, you held your hand out for him to grab onto. Grabbing onto your hand, he hoisted himself up.

            “You never know when I might have to go into battle,” You shrugged.

            “Battle? With whom?” Ravus arched a brow.

            You laughed nervously while rubbing the back of your neck. Sometimes when training with Ravus, you forgot he was a high commander for the Imperial army. He considered you his sister and looked after you but deep down, you knew he’d been somewhat brainwashed by Niflheim and Aldercapt. Sometimes when you mentioned the army around you, he’d give you an unsure look. You knew that they told him not to trust you; that you could turn on him at any given moment.

            “I’m just messing…” You smiled at him before letting it fall. Nervously, you began to fiddle with your ring as you watched Ravus pack his things up. “So, um, can I ask a favor of you?”

            “I have to return to Niflheim. I do not have time for another spare,” He said without looking over at you.

            “No, no, not that! It’s um… kind of a birthday present…”

            Ravus immediately turned around to look at you as you said this. “Oh yeah, your birthday is a few days after Lunafreya’s, isn’t it?”

            “Yeah!” You grinned at him, happy he remembered your birthday this year. He’s forgotten a few times in the past.

            “What is it that you wish for?”

            “Well,” You continued to fiddle with your ring and look away from him. “I’d like to see the city-“

            “Of Tenebrae? I can manage that.”

            “No… the city as in… _Insomnia_.”

            “Absolutely not!” Ravus shouted at you, causing you to jump in fear slightly. It frightened you slightly at how the simple mention of the city’s name sent a fire into the man’s eyes.

            “B-but,” You stuttered over your words. The courage that you mustered up a few minutes ago had completely vanished. “I’ve always wanted to see the city and me going isn’t technically for me… but for Lunafreya.”

            “Lunafreya? What business does she have with Insomnia?”

            “Noctis is there!”

            “Oh, here we go again. Just the sound of that boy’s name pisses me off,” Ravus shook his fist angrily.

            “Listen, Ravus! It’s all I ask for my birthday! Lunafreya has done so much for me since I’ve arrived here twelve years ago! I just want to see her happy and Noctis makes her happy! Please, it’s all I want. I just want Lunafreya to be happy…”

            Ravus undid his fist as he looked away from you. You straightened your posture as he looked back in your direction. You noticed his eyes softened as you gave him a pleading look. Lunafreya’s happiness meant the world to you and if you could give her the world, you would.

            “I’ll… talk to Aldercapt about it…”

            A grin immediately broke out on your face as you ran up to Ravus and wrapped your arms around his waist. “Thank you so, so much!”

            “This doesn’t mean you’re going for sure. You know Aldercapt has a grudge against you as do all of the Imperial army…”

            “I know, I know but I can only pray to the Gods that he’ll let me go!” You smiled up at the man.

            “Hm…” Was all Ravus said as he gently patted your head.

            You closed your eyes as a smile enlightened your face. This was it. Your chance to make Lunafreya happy. The chance to temporarily escape Tenebrae. Everything would work out in your favor. Everything would be okay.

~!~

            Your eyes widened as the city of Insomnia filled your eyes. You were finally here. After waiting an agonizing week of hearing Aldercapt’s response to you visiting Insomnia; he finally agreed to let you go. The city was even more beautiful in person than what you’ve seen on television or heard on radio stations. Nonchalantly, you scratched behind Umbra’s ear as he sat beside you on the train. Lunafreya made you take the dog along as he was carrying another message for Noctis from her. You begged her to let you deliver the message personally to the 20-year-old prince, but she said he would be expecting Umbra and not you. Besides, she said it was a chance for Umbra to keep you company on the long journey to Lucis.

            “Welcome to the capital of Lucis. Please enjoy your visit!” The intercom spoke as the train came to a stop in front of the station.

            “This is it… happy birthday to me,” You grinned as you nervously tugged at the tights you were wearing. It felt so nice to be in casual clothes for once instead of the formal attire you had to wear around Tenebrae. You wore black tights that were cutout in the front and tied into tiny bows from the calf of your leg to your upper thigh. Along with it, you wore a cropped, sleeveless beige hoodie and simple black slip-on shoes. An arm bracelet with the symbol of Tenebrae wrapped around your arm and, of course, the ring Lunafreya gave you for your birthday last year occupied your right ring finger. Letting out a sigh as you stood up to gather your things, you shifted your hair to cover the scar on your neck. You considered the scar an eyesore and a grim reminder of where you really came from even if you represented Tenebrae now.

            “Arf!” Umbra barked excitedly at you as he ran off the train.

            “Wait! Umbra!” You called after the dog as you hauled your bags and tried to run after the dog the best you could. The train station was highly packed with people getting on and off trains. You quickly lost sight of the dog and let out a heavy sigh as you looked around the station. Deciding that you first destination should probably be to find your hotel, you shifted the strap of your bag securely on your shoulder, and made your way to the exit of the station.

~!~

            After hours of getting lost and asking people for help around the city, you ended up at the hotel you were staying at for the week. It was a grand hotel and you were surprised Aldercapt managed to get you into such an expensive looking place despite his obvious dislike for you. The hotel was in the heart of the city, literally in front of the Citadel. You assumed Ravus must’ve recommended this as he knew your true motives for coming to the city. Tomorrow, you would go to the Citadel and book a tour in hopes of running into Prince Noctis in the process. You couldn’t help but wonder what the man looked like now. Lunafreya hadn’t shown you a photo of him since he was about 16 and you knew his features had to of have drastically changed since then. Was he even more handsome now? Or had he had been at his prime at 16 and now his looks were going down the drain. You snickered at the idea of a possible unattractive prince. It’d be an insult to his father who was a good-looking man. It’d be an insult to Lunafreya if she knew her prince charming didn’t match her good looks. You didn’t mean to be shallow, but Lunafreya deserved the best in your eyes and if Noctis wasn’t it then…

            “Last name?” The hotel receptionist interrupted you from your thoughts.

            “Ah,” The question took you by surprise. You hadn’t been asked your last name since you were a kid. “Um… Nox Fleuret…?”

            The receptionist’s eyes widened as he stared at you in awe. Feeling slightly uncomfortable under his gaze, you cleared your throat.

            “Ah sorry! It’s just… are you related to Lady Lunafreya?” He whispered the last part to you.

            “Um… in a way, yes?” You tilted your head in confusion at the man. You knew Lunafreya had a huge impact across Eos but you never thought you’d get recognized for simply knowing her.

            “Ah! Why are you here?! Shouldn’t you be in Altissia in support?”

            “In support?” You asked. “Why would I be in Altissia?”

            “The wedding! It’s Saturday! The prince and-“

            “Jerr! Why is there a line? What’s the hold up? Is there a problem with this guest’s reservation?” A tall man you assumed was the supervisor asked.

            “Ah, no! This is a No-“

            “I don’t want to hear your excuses. Check her in and keep the line moving! This is a busy weekend for us because of the signing!”

            Signing? What was going on in Insomnia this weekend? And who was getting married in Altissia? What did Lunafreya have to do with anything?

            “Sorry for the wait, ma’am. If you just sign here, you’ll be all set,” The receptionist, now known as Jerr, nervously slid a paper for you to sign and your room key over to you. You nodded cautiously as you signed your name and took the key.  You walked over to the elevators where you were able to board along with a couple chatting excitedly. You couldn’t help but overhear their conversation as the elevator slowly climbed to your respective floors.

            “She’s gonna be so beautiful! Oh, honey, can we marry in Altissia also?”

            “Altissia is expensive,” The man chuckled. “I think here in Insomnia is nice.”

            “But Altissia is the city of love!” The young girl whined as she gripped onto the man’s arm.

            “Enough about Altissia. What time should we arrive at the Citadel to get a good spot for the signing event tomorrow?” The man asked as the woman shrugged. You immediately turned your attention to them as you heard this. Another mentioning of a wedding and signing event. What was going on?

            “Um… excuse me…?” You asked as they both turned to look at you. The woman looked you up and down before her eyes landed on your bracelet. She gasped as she discreetly tried to get the man to notice the Tenebrae symbol on your arm. “What signing even is taking place?”

            “The coming together of Niflheim and Lucis, of course! How could you not hear about it! It’s all everyone’s been talking about since it was announced along with the wedding last week!”

            “Last week…?” You scratched your head as you tried to remember what happened last week. All you remembered was Lunafreya being excited for something but worried at the same time. Imperials also escorted her to Tenebrae’s tailor several times that week and even caused her to miss your birthday again. You just assumed she was getting so new outfit to travel in or a late birthday present from Ravus. Wait…

            “Niflheim and Lucis are ending the feud?” You gasped as the first part of the information finally sunk in. “What? Since when?”

            “Since announced last week. Do you live under a rock?”

            “Honey,” The woman tugged on the man’s shirt and blatantly pointed at the Tenebrae symbol on your arm. He looked from her over to you. His eyes widened as he straightened his posture.

            “You’re from Tenebrae?” He asked suddenly, catching you off guard.

            “Uh yeah,” You lifted your arm to better display the symbol to them. Confused, you dropped it back down. “Why?”

            “How do you not know of your former princess getting married to our prince?”

            At the mention of that, the bag that was sliding off your shoulder dropped to the floor as the elevator dinged. The couple looked at the number displayed on the elevator’s screen before pushing past you.

            “Sorry, this is our stop! Nice talking to you!”

            You ignored them as the doors shut behind you and the elevator began to climb again. Lunafreya was marrying Noctis? Since when? And when did Lucis and Niflheim decide to put aside their differences? Did this mean… you could return home after this? The elevator reached your destined floor and you quickly hopped off it and ran to your room. You found the room and immediately unlocked it. Tossing your bags to the side, you ran towards the tv and immediately turned it on.

            _“Hotels are filling up fast people prepare for the signing event celebration tomorrow. Finally, after centuries of feuding, Lucis and Niflheim will put aside their differences and bring peace to all the lands. In light of the signing, Prince Noctis and Lady Lunafreya will marry the following day to officially conceal the peace treaty. What a wonderful time it is for all of Eos-“_

You immediately switched off the television as your heart pounded inside your chest. Lunafreya was getting married… to Noctis? More importantly, Niflheim was putting aside their differences with Lucis? Would they make you return home after this? Where would you go? You haven’t spoken to your father in twelve years. You’d be alone in Niflheim. Was Niflheim really going to go through with this? They were shady people who couldn’t be trusted. Was Lunafreya in danger? She did warn you multiple times of the Niffs planning something, was it this? Was she secretly aware of everything that was happening? And if so, why didn’t she tell you? Why didn’t she tell you she was marrying Noctis? Something was going on. Something was off. It’d explain why Aldercapt agreed to let you go to Insomnia and give you such nice reservations at a hotel directly in front of the Citadel the same weekend as the signing event and wedding. You had to get out of here and back to Lunafreya.

            You reached over to the hotel phone and dialed the front desk. “Hi… um… I would like to have an early checkout tomorrow morning, and if possible, purchase a train ticket back to Tenebrae tomorrow morning. The earliest time, please. Thank you…”

~!~

            You were on a train the next morning back to Tenebrae. You only prayed to the Gods that you’d get back in time before Lunafreya left for Altissia. The ceremony would be taking place later today in Insomnia. Your knee bounced nervously as the train began to slowly pull out of Insomnia’s station. Looking around, you couldn’t help but notice how empty the trains were. Everyone must be going into the city for the ceremony instead of out. Nerves getting the best of you, you stood up from your seat and made your way to the train’s small bar. As you walked down the aisles, two Imperial soldiers coming your way caught your eye.

            “Shit,” You mumbled as you immediately went to take cover in the nearest seats. You listened as the took a seat in front of yours. What were they doing on the train? Shouldn’t they be on guard at the ceremony or something? Worse, what would happen if they saw you? Every soldier was aware of you being in Insomnia for the weekend. They’d grow suspicious if you they caught you on a train back home so early.

            “What time is the signing taking place?” You heard one of the soldiers ask.

            “Around 12pm this afternoon.”

            “Think we’ll succeed?”

            “No doubt. I highly doubt that old king and his son can defend themselves from what’s going to happen,” the other soldier chuckled.

            “What about the girl?”

            “Lunafreya?”

            “No, the _traitor_. She’s skilled in combat and smart. She’ll definitely side with Lucis and try to stop things.”

            “She’s located in the designated bombing areas. She’ll be blown to bits before she can even realize what’s going on. Aldercapt is a genius, I tell you. No need to worry!”

            “Yeah, you’re ri-“

            “What the fuck?!” The soldier beside him immediately stood up and drew his sword as he watched in horror as a dagger entered through his friend’s neck before being plunged back out, instantly killing him and causing blood to splatter everywhere.

            “Quick! Call for back –“ The soldier called in his walkie talkie before dropping it at the sight of you. You gripped tightly onto your now bloodied dagger as you glared furiously at the soldier who nervously aimed his sword at you.

            “What the fuck is going on? Why are Prince Noctis and King Regis in danger? Where is Lunafreya right now!?” You yelled angrily as you positioned your dagger, ready to attack the soldier.

            “Who are you?!” He asked nervously, his sword trembling in his hand.

            In a swift movement, you high kicked the sword from the soldier’s hand, causing it to land on the floor and slide under the seats. He gulped nervously as you slowly approached him. You brushed aside your hair to reveal the ‘x’ scar on the side of your neck. The soldier’s eyes widened at it.

            “Y/N Nox Fleuret…”

            “I’ll ask again,” You looked past the soldier as you saw a group of more Imperials making their way towards you. “Where is Lunafreya?”

            “She’s on her way to-“ _Bang!_ You gripped your arm in pain as a bullet grazed past it. Glaring, you saw the others had arrived and were armed. The soldier in front of you immediately dropped to the floor to retrieve his sword. Noticing this, you switched the blade you held to your uninjured arm and stepped on the soldier’s back, causing him to yell out in pain. Bullets flew past you as the other imperials began making their way towards you.

            “I don’t have time for this shit! I need to get to Lunafreya!” You yelled as you plunged the blade into the soldier’s neck and swiftly removed it. Looking up at the other soldiers, fire raged in your eyes. They’d be tougher to kill since they wore their helmets but with your skills, you could get it done. Yelling out in rage, you began to take on the soldier’s one by one, aiming for the weak spots of their armor that you learned after examining one of the suits one day. You knew that there’d be a day like this and you prepared yourself with Ravus’s help. Ravus…

            He betrayed you. Ravus was aware that Niflheim was going to attack Lucis. He was aware that you would be killed while in Insomnia and he was _okay_ with it. You tried to shake those thoughts from your head as you killed soldier after soldier. He wouldn’t condone the death of Lunafreya, however. She was safe. She had to be. Then again, was she? Would Ravus turn on her as he did you? As you approached the last soldier who was fallen on the ground, you enclosed him with your legs and removed his helmet. He was a young man – about the same age as you. Fear took over his eyes as he looked at your blood splattered outfit and knife, the only blood belonging to you being the one from the bullet wound from earlier.

            “P-please! Spare me!”

            “Where is Lunafreya?!” You spat in his face.

            “I-In Insomnia! She went there for the signing!”

            You gasped at the information. Ravus _would_ condone the murder of his own sister.

            “S-she’s safe! I promise you!”

            “How can I trust you!” You placed the tip of your dagger to his neck. One quick plunge and he’d be done for.

            “Ravus! He wouldn’t hurt her! She’s a Nox Fleuret! She’s his blood! He loves her!” He pleaded with you. Meanwhile his words resonated within you. _She’s a Nox Fleuret_. You weren’t a Nox Fleuret to Ravus. You weren’t his sister by blood. You were never a Nox Fleuret. You were just an orphaned child abandoned by her father and country. Someone who betrayed the ones who cared for her. And now, Ravus was the one who betrayed you; a taste of your own medicine. Tears fell from your eyes on the soldier’s face. Having a blurred vision, you sunk the dagger into the man’s neck and yanked it back out. Sniffing, you wiped the tears from your face with your arm, smearing blood on it in the process. Putting yourself together, you realized you had to get back to Insomnia. Walking seemed to be the only way to get back and you knew you wouldn’t arrive until later the next day. Praying to the Gods to look after Lunafreya, King Regis, and Noctis until you got there, you opened a window and jumped from the moving train. Landed on the hard gravel, the wind was knocked out of you as you groaned in pain. You collectively got your thoughts together before forcing yourself to sit up. You were in front of a car repair shop that read _Hammerhead_. The place looked deserted as you assumed everyone was already in Insomnia or watching their televisions to witness the soon destruction of the city. Coughing, you stood up and began to limp your way to the direction of Insomnia.

~!~

            It was nightfall by the time you reached Insomnia and fear had already set in your heart. Niflheim ships soared above you to the way of the city. As you reached the bridge that led into the city, you gasped as Imperials guarded the gates. Explosions and smoke could be seen arising from the city. Tears streamed down your face as your biggest fear sat in the back of your mind: _Lunafreya was dead_ ; _The Lucis Caelum family was dead._ Trying to still think positive, you limped weakly towards the city, not noticing a daemon appearing behind you. Hearing the snarl of the daemon behind you, you turned your attention away from the city and drew your blade. Exhaustedly, you ran towards the goblin-like daemon and swiftly stabbed it in its head, killing it instantly. To your unfortunate, more daemons began to surround you. You let out a bitter laugh. This was just your luck.

            After taking out the daemons, your body collapsed to the ground. Your energy was gone. You just needed to close your eyes for five minutes before continuing onward. Just five… minutes…

            “Hey! Hey! Are you okay?!” You heard the distance voice of the man. “Hey! Come help me, guys! I think she’s a survivor of the attack!”

            Unable to open your eyelids, you felt your body be lifted from the ground and into the back of a vehicle.

            “Is she dead, mama?” A small child’s voice was heard.

            “No, sweetie. She’s going to be fine,” a soothing woman’s voice said.

            “Damn, she’s covered in blood! Let’s get to Hammerhead quickly!” The sounds of doors closing were heard as you felt the vehicle begin to move in the opposite direction of the city.

            “What’re we gonna do now that everyone’s gone, mama? Prince Noctis, King Regis, and Lady Lunafreya… they’re gone.”

            At the sound of this, your eyes snapped open.

            “ _Insomnia has fallen. Reports of King Regis, Prince Noctis, and Lady Lunafreya not surviving the attacks are coming in. We, the people of Lucis, must come together in this time of despair and remain calm! The Gods will protect us!”_

~!~

_Noctis’s POV_

            “I suggest we get curatives before hitting the road…” Ignis suggested as the boys pulled into Hammerhead’s station.

            “Nice idea, Iggy! While you do that, I’m gonna get some food! Comin’ Noct?” Prompto asked his raven-haired best friend. The prince – now King – looked off into space as he sat in the Regalia. His father was dead. His fiancée was dead. Hell, even _he_ was dead according to the media. What was going on?

            “We’re not sure about Lady Lunafreya so do not let that get to you,” Gladiolus said as he slapped Noctis on his back before exiting the car. Noctis just casually nodded his head before exiting the car. “Go grab some grub with Prompto and we’ll meet back here before meeting up with Cor at the hunter’s HQ.”

            “Right…” Noctis said as he walked beside Prompto. Prompto placed a comforting arm around his best friend’s shoulder as they walked towards the diner together.

            “Hey, what about Umbra? I’m sure he’ll appear any moment now to confirm that Lady Lunafreya is okay!”

            “Maybe…” Noctis said as they entered the diner. The smell of breakfast foods engulfed their nostrils, causing Noctis’s stomach to growl. After a long day, it was no doubt he was hungry.

            “Whoa…” Prompto’s arm fell from his best friend’s shoulder.

            “Whoa is right! It smells amazing in here!” Noctis agreed.

            “Not whoa that but whoa _her!_ ” Prompto pointed to a booth where a woman sat. Her arm was bandaged and clothes were battered. She looked like she had just come back from a raging war. She was fiddling with something on her hand as a plate of food that appeared untouched sat in front of her. “She’s a beauty…”

            “Huh?” Noctis looked where Prompto was pointing. Noctis tilted his head slightly as he the woman looked familiar from afar – as if he’s seen her before. He watched her carefully as she brushed some of her hair back, revealing the ‘x’ scar on her neck. As Noctis blinked, her hair fell back into place, covering up the mark. However, it only took a glance for him to remember who she was.

            “ _Y/N_ …” Noctis mumbled your name causing the blond man beside him to repeat it.

            “Y/N. What a beautiful name – wait – how do you know that’s her name?” Prompto turned to face Noctis only to find the man had already made his way over to the woman. He watched as the woman’s head swiftly looked up at him, eyes widening. Before Prompto could get his thoughts together, the woman had stumbled out of her booth and wrapped her arms around Noctis’s neck, sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. Noctis stood frozen for a while before hesitantly wrapping his arms around the crying woman, attempting his best to console her.

            “What’s going on?” Gladio asked as he and Ignis entered the shop and caught sight of Noctis comforting the woman.

            “Y/N…” Ignis said as he recognized the woman. Noctis had mentioned another girl with Lunafreya whenever he talked about the oracle and his time spent in Tenebrae. She would be the only other woman Noctis would act this way towards. It had to be Y/N.

            “I don’t know why we’re giving this woman a name but… I think we should plan to make room for one more on our journey for her…”

            “Agreed,” Gladiolus and Ignis said simultaneously as they watched the woman continue to grip onto Noctis for dear life. He turned towards his group for help but they simply shrugged much to the prince’s despair.


	3. Welcome to the Chocobros!

            _“With this ring, know that I am with you always…”_

            You gripped the ring tightly in your hand as you stared at your plate of untouched waffles. Your body ached from the pain and stress you put on it the day before but your mind was numb; it refused to focus on the physical pain but the emotional instead. Lunafreya was dead. Gone. The last thing you remembered was promising her you’d come back to Tenebrae safely and deliver her belated birthday gift. She told you that she didn’t need anything and just wanted you to be happy and get out for once. Shaking your head at her, you promised that you would return with something – _someone_ \- that would return the bright smile you once knew Lunafreya possessed. Before she could protest again, you had quickly exited the room. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t be able to keep your promise to your beloved sister. With Noctis, Lunafreya, and King Regis dead, you had no more promises to keep with anyone. Gripping the ring tighter, you let a tear fall from your eye.

            How could you have not seen this coming? You knew it was suspicious for them to let you go to Insomnia; to let you out of their sight for even just a minute. It was too good to be true and you fell for it. The ignorant bliss you attempted to live in dissipated from beneath you and threw you back into reality. A reality where Lunafreya, your only family, was dead. A reality where someone you thought was a brother betrayed you as you did to the country you once called home. At least one thing came good out of this nightmare; Noctis and Lunafreya could be together in the afterlife-

            “Y/N…?” A deep, hesitant voice said your name.

            “Hm…?” You answered, not looking away from the waffles your eyes were fixated on. It was probably one of the refugees from Insomnia who saved you last night. They were on their way to Lestallum and begged you to come along with them to receive further medical attention. You declined their offer. You had to figure out a way to get back to Niflheim. That was the only place you could go right now; the only place you _wanted_ to go. You wanted to see them burn and suffer as they did to Insomnia. You wanted to kill Aldercapt and his minions. You wanted revenge.

            “Y/N,” the voice said again causing you to finally look away from your plate and to the man who spoke to you. Just one glance at the man caused all the air in your body to escape. That black hair, now longer and less tamed, those blue eyes, the casual prince attire… was he… was he real? Were you seeing a ghost? Were you imagining him?

            “Noctis…” You said his name slowly. The prince who was reportedly deceased nodded at you. Before he could say anything, you jumped up from the booth you sat in and threw yourself into his unexpecting arms. He was real. The heat from his warm skin radiated off onto yours. Your eyes grew heavy with tears as you felt him gently wrap his arms around you. Letting the tears flow freely, you tightened your grip on him. It was Noctis. Noctis was here. He was _alive_. Did that mean… Lunafreya was alive as well, however?

~!~

            “You took on imperials _alone_!?” The one named Prompto said in amazement as you gently nodded your head. After calming down from discovering Noctis was still alive, his friends and he joined you at your booth where you were introduced to them. You recognized the blond one, Prompto, from a picture Lunafreya had shown you a couple of years back. The other two, Gladiolus and Ignis, were new to you. However, they were kind men and Ignis even bought you a cup of coffee. You guess you looked as horrible as you felt and the men felt slightly sorry for you.

            You inhaled deeply as you stirred the spoon in your coffee. “Is Lunafreya really…?”

            The tense air that lifted slightly became tense once again as you asked the question. After introducing yourself, you told the boys how you ended up in Hammerhead. You left out the part about Ravus betraying you as you couldn’t quite fathom the thought. That, and it’d lead to them wondering why Ravus would betray his adopted sister and, for now, you were only comfortable with Noctis knowing half of your real story.

            “As for now, we are unsure of Lady Lunafreya’s status. However, we believe she escaped the city.”

            “Has Umbra contacted you?” You looked up at Noctis who sat across from you.

            “Not since I left for Altissia...” He frowned slightly at you. You just nodded at him before focusing back on your coffee. You had to get to Niflheim. If Lunafreya was alive, wouldn’t they take her there instead of back to Tenebrae? It was only logical. They’d have better control over her there. Ha, you wondered if they knew you escaped the city or not. What if they assumed you were dead and were searching for your corpse in the destroyed streets of Insomnia?

            “So, I know we just met and all but…” You looked up to Gladiolus as he leaned in closer to you. “We want you to join us on our journey. I mean, we don’t know where you’re headed but… it’s better than going alone, right?”

            Immediately you shook your head. “I can’t. I want to find Lunafreya…”

            “We’re looking for her as well. It’d only make sense for us to search together,” Ignis said as he pushed up his glasses.

            “Yeah, Y/N, you don’t gotta be alone anymore! We can initiate you into the Chocobros!” Prompto grinned brightly at you. You responded by tilting your head to the side in confusion, your hair revealing the ‘x’ on your neck.

            “Chocobros?” You blinked at them, not taking notice that they all had stopped talking to stare at the scar. Finally realizing what they were hypnotized by, you lifted your head up and patted your hair over the mark.

            “How’d you get-“

            “I’ll join you guys.” You quickly said, interrupting Prompto’s question. “Only until we find Lunafreya, though.”

            “Great! Welcome to the Chocobros!” Prompto smiled at you as he held his hand out to shake. Hesitantly, you reached for his hand and looked over at Noctis. His head was resting in his hand as he expressionlessly stared at you. Looking away from the staring prince, you turned back to Prompto and gave his hand a firm grip.

~!~

            “Make sure to rest up. Tomorrow we set out to search for the royal arms for Noctis…” Ignis said as he climbed the steps to the trailer that you guys were staying the night in. Noctis, Prompto, and you were sitting outside the trailer. The boys were playing some video game on their phones, not paying any attention to Ignis.

            “Royal arms?” You asked confusedly. You turned your attention to the younger boys only to be ignored. Frowning, you looked back to the only one who seemed to be helpful.

            “Yeah. Since Noctis is King now, he has to acquire the arms of his ancestors…” Gladiolus said as he went into the trailer.

            “King…” You said to yourself in amazement. “King… Noctis…”

            “I’m not used to that title yet,” Noctis mumbled, not taking his eyes away from his phone.

            “My Lunafreya isn’t going to just get her prince charming… but now a king. Wow…” Your eyes gleamed at the thought of Lunafreya’s happiness.

            “Wait, if you’re Lady Lunafreya’s sister… does that mean Noctis is going to be your brother-in-law? Wow!” Prompto said excitedly as he put his phone down and looked between you and Noctis.

            “There won’t be a wedding now…” Noctis mumbled under his breath but only you heard as you sat the closest to him. You tilted your head at him.

            “Why not?” You asked. Maybe not now, but there surely could be a wedding later down the road when this mess was figured out. If Lunafreya is alive that is…

            Noctis shrugged at you as he continued to tap away at his phone. You glared slightly at the new king. He surely was different from the kid Noctis you once knew. This Noctis was nonchalant and seemed to keep his thoughts to himself. He didn’t even seem that worried for Lunafreya’s wellbeing. Wasn’t he in love with her as she was him? That’s what you’ve always assumed from the endless messages they sent each other through Umbra. Prompto laughed nervously after noticing the awkward silence between everyone and stood up with a stretch.

            “Well, I’m going to hit the hay. Got a long day tomorrow! See you guys in the AM!” He grinned and made his way into the trailer. You continued to stare at Noctis as he focused on his phone. Your eyes focused on his side profile and his sharp jawline. His black hair fell around his face, hiding most of his features from onlookers. Though you only saw such little of his face, you remembered seeing it when he found you in the diner. His sapphire eyes were widened with worry and shock and a stressed frown was placed on his light pink lips. Only one thought came to your mind and that was he was handsome. The pictures Lunafreya showed you of him didn’t do the in-person Noctis any justice. Your heart swelled at the thought of Lunafreya meeting with Noctis and seeing just how well he aged. She’d be delighted. You couldn’t wait to see that grin on her face. Sighing, you closed your eyes and let your head fall back until it hit the backing of the chair. You were tired after a restless night. The gunshot wound on your arm burned like hell and the scratches scattered across your body made you feel numb all over. You even imagined the scar on your neck was throbbing in pain, though, you sure that one was just in your mind.

            “Go to bed if you’re tired…” Noctis broke you from your thoughts. You lifted your head to look at him. He stared blankly at you as you blinked at him. This was definitely not the Noctis you knew when you were nine.

            “I don’t know how I feel about sleeping around a bunch of strange men…” You playfully smirked at him. His face turned a slight red as you said this which cause you to giggle slightly. There was the Noctis you once knew.

            “Uh… well… it’s only for a night? Well actually since you’ll be traveling with us-“

            “It’s fine. I somehow trust you guys. Plus, you wouldn’t put your _sister-in-law_ in harm’s way, would you?” You asked as you stood up and stretched, a popping noise coming from your shoulders. “Ow, shit.”

            Noctis immediately stood up and began to reach out for you as you held your injured arm. “Are you okay?”

            “Just a bullet graze. It’ll heal in a couple of days. No big deal,” You grinned reassuringly at him. He still gave you an unsure look, however. The grin on your face began to fade as you remembered Lunafreya again. “Do you… think she’s okay?”

            Noctis let out a heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. “I… I don’t know but I’d like to think she is. She’s strong. She probably escaped the city.”

            “… Is King Regis really…?”

            Noctis let out a bitter laugh. “I’m not going around to collect my ancestor’s arms for no reason…”

            “I’m sorry… he was a really sweet man for the short time I knew him,” You dropped your head.

            “Yeah. He really wanted to take you and Luna with us when we escaped but…” Noctis drifted off as you both remembered how you had let go of Lunafreya’s hand to be captured by the Imperials.

            “Well… I’m going to bed. We have a big day tomorrow according to – what’s his name again – the big fella?”

            “Gladiolus… but you can call him Gladio.”

            “Gladdy,” You smirked at the young king who arched a brow at you.

            “Gladdy?”

            “Yeah. It rhymes with daddy and he’s daddy-ish, right? Gladdy daddy,” You laughed as Noctis began to choke on nothing in particular. “Good night, _King_ Noctis.”

~!~

 

_“Ravus…” a nine-year-old you peeped your head into his bedroom. His room was in a disarray because of his moving to Niflheim. Your eyes scanned the room only to land on the blond male sitting at his desk appearing to be jotting something down. You leaned in closer to the room and cleared your throat to gain his attention._

_“Y/N, what is it? I’m busy,” He said in a frustrated voice. He’s been talking to you like that a lot recently. You worried he blamed you for his mother’s death and as to why Lunafreya didn’t escape with King Regis and Prince Noctis. Lunafreya assured you that the death of their mother was hard on them and he didn’t blame you for anything. In fact, she said, he was grateful that you saved her life. He still saw you as his sister just as he did when Queen Sylva was alive._

_“Um… can I ask a favor of you… please?” You whispered in a tiny voice, fully aware that he was unable to clearly hear you._

_“Speak up. I can’t hear you,” He said as he spun around in his chair. Ravus’s eyes softened as he saw you nervously standing in his doorway seeking comfort in the door handle that you gripped on to. His eyes then landed on the bandaged wound on your neck. Beneath it, he knew, would always serve as your grim reminder that you betrayed the place you once called home._

_“I have a favor!” You let go of the door handle and went into a full 90-degree bow. Ravus arched a brow at you as he wondered what possibly it was that you could’ve wanted for you to go into a pleading posture._

_“Go on…”_

_You inhaled a deep breath as you looked up into Ravus’s eyes. He silently gasped as he saw the tears threatening to run down your face. “I want you to teach me how to properly fight… with my hands and with the knives.”_

_Ravus blinked at you confusedly for a moment before answering. “Fight? Why do you need to learn how to fight?”_

_“I want to protect Lunafreya…” You whispered. Ravus leaned forward in his chair in hopes of hearing you better._

_“What was that?”_

_“I want to protect Lunafreya!” You shouted this time. Memories of watching the Imperial soldiers toss the 12-year-old girl one night flashed through your mind. You hid behind a curtain and could only helplessly watched as they threatened to take her life right before your eyes. You didn’t have anything to stop them nor did you know how to physically fight. Besides, they held guns and could easily take you out with one pull of the trigger. It wasn’t like you weren’t walking on thin ice as it was._

_“Protect Lunafreya… why? Is there something wrong?” Ravus asked as his body tensed up. You immediately shook your head at him, not wanting him to know how the Imperials were treating his sister._

_“N-no, I just… please train me?” You went back to a quieter voice. The tears you held back were now steadily streaming down your face._

_“Maybe when you’re older…”_

_“How old?” You asked as you furiously wiped the tears from your face. “Like 9 and three quarters old or?”_

_“I’ll come to you when you’re 12 and train you in secrecy.”_

_12? Would 12 be too late by then? Would Lunafreya – or worse – **you** be dead by then? The future was unsure. _

_“…Promise?” You held out your pinky finger to the older male. He looked down at it then back to your tear streaked face. Letting out a small chuckle, he got up from his desk and bent down to your height, connecting his pinky with yours._

_“As your older brother, I promise.”_

~!~

            Your eyes shot open as the dream of Ravus and your promise ended. Somehow you had broken out in a cold sweat. Glancing around the slightly darkened room confusedly, you tried to remember just where you were. Looking to the other side of the room where another bed was, laid two men deep in slumber. Slowly sitting up, you strained your eyes to see them better. Blond hair poked from the covers as the head from the other man was covered with a pillow. Suddenly remembering the events of yesterday and how you agreed to join Noctis and his group, you quietly climbed out of bed.

            You couldn’t travel with them. What were you thinking? By you traveling with the boys, you’d only put Noctis in danger. You were almost positive the Empire by now have realized that you were alive and escaped the city. It wouldn’t be surprising if they were currently on a hunt for you and had “Most Wanted” poster placed everywhere in Lucis. Still, it would be easier for you to get around since they had a car and shared the same mission as you – finding Lunafreya.

            However, it was still too risky. If you could jump from a moving train and hike it up to Insomnia and take on an army of, not only Imperials, but daemons as well, then you could surely find a way back to Niflheim where you hoped Lunafreya was. Sighing, you tiptoed out of the room and quietly exited the trailer. The sun had just began to rise and the light that emitted from it shone in your face. Using your uninjured arm to cover your eyes, you silently closed the door behind you.

            “Ah, an early bird, I see. It’s great to see someone else is an earlier riser such as ourselves,” The one you remembered being called Ignis said as he sat in one of the plastic chairs outside the trailer. A cup of steaming coffee sat on the table while he held a newspaper in his hands. Beside him was Gladiolus who was scarfing down a plate of French toast.

            “Yeah. The Prince of Sleep and his lackey won’t be awake for another hour or so…” Gladiolus shrugged. “You hungry? Takka is giving us free breakfast to prepare us for our journey.”

            “I… uh…um…” You were at a loss for words. How’d you forget that there were two other guys on Noctis’s journey as well. You thought the room you slept in felt empty when you awoke as you partially remembered stepping over Ignis and Gladiolus – who gave you the bed while they slept on the floor – to reach your bed.

            “Don’t tell me,” Gladiolus said as he stuffed another piece of toast in his mouth, “You thought you were gonna bail on us?”

            “That wouldn’t be wise since you’re injured…” Ignis pushed down his glasses slightly to give you a disapproving look. Somehow it made you feel like you were a little kid getting caught doing something bad by a parent.

            “Um… no? I’m just an early riser as you stated before! I even used to get up before Lunafreya!” You laughed nervously as you lied through your teeth. Your mornings in Tenebrae were usually spent with Lunafreya trying to drag you out of bed to have breakfast with her for once. Often, you’d sleep through breakfast and only have lunch and dinner with the oracle. However, this situation was different. You were in an unknown territory with men you barely knew. Sure, you knew of Noctis, but you hadn’t seen him since you guys were kids. Technically, he was a stranger now.

            “That’s great! You can help out with breakfast in the mornings when we camp!” Ignis’s voice rose slightly as he mentioned cooking. You assumed this thought excited the serious looking man. Wait… did he say…?

            “ _Camping_?!” You repeated the words in disbelief. Camping? As in share a small ass tent with four grown men? Not only that but Gladiolus as well? He made up 10 of you. You just barely survived the night in a trailer with them.

            “Don’t worry,” A cheery voice said from behind you. “If Noctis complains enough, we’ll get a hotel to sleep in or something.”

            You turned around and saw a bedhead Prompto rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He noticed you staring and gave you a wide grin.

            “I’m starvin’! What’s for breakfast?” He asked as he slid past you and over to the table with Ignis and Gladiolus.

            “Whatever Takka offers you. The meal is on the house. Take Y/N with you to get food. I’ll be waking Noct up soon so we can hit the road.”

            “Sure thing! C’mon Y/N!” Prompto grinned at you as he walked past you towards the diner. Letting out a heavy sigh, you began to follow behind him.

            “Yo, Y/N!” Gladiolus called out to you. You turned around and arched a brow at the muscular man. “What’s your combat skills like? Can’t have you risking another bullet wound.”

            You only smirked at him as you said this. “I can show you later if you want?”

            Gladiolus returned the smirk to your surprise. You felt your face immediately heat up. “Looking forward to it.”

~!~

            “Oh, can I have the bacon and scrambled eggs – wait – they’re not Chocobo eggs, are they? That’s against my religion…” Prompto asked as he placed his order with Takka. The older man glanced at you with an unsure look that you only responded with a shrug.

“I’ll just take a coffee, thanks.” You said as Prompto gave you an incredulous look.

            “Only coffee? You’re gonna starve! Who knows what we’ll face when going to find the arms of the past kings! I bet there’ll be tons of daemons and-“

            “I’m trained to fight daemons. I fought of a swarm of them, remember?” You smirked at the blond who’s face immediately reddened.

            “Ah yeah… forgot for a second… it’s just you’re so…”

            “Small? Petite?” You arched a brow as you finished his sentence. He hesitantly nodded his head at you. Prompto wasn’t wrong. You were a petite girl; you were small in structure and it didn’t help that nearly every person you met towered over you. You were only about 160cm (5’3) and even had to look up to Lunafreya. When you were younger, you’d joke about your height to Lunafreya by saying it was the intense trauma you experienced as a child that stunted your growth. She never found the jokes funny and secretly neither did you as it probably held some truth behind it. However, it did help you to keep a lighthearted view of the situation and hey, at least you could kick ass and no one would expect it.

            “Anyways, you should order real food!” Prompto returned his grin to you before turning back to Takka. “She’ll have the same as me!”

            “Morning…” A groggy deep voice resonated from behind you guys, causing Prompto and you to turn around.

            “Good morning, your majesty!” Prompto playfully bowed to Noctis only to earn a groan from the prince and an eyeroll from you. Noctis waved the blond off and slid past him to reach the counter Takka stood behind.

            “What’d it be?” Takka asked as he readied his pen and pad to take another order.

            “Just a coffee…”

            You looked to Prompto half expecting him to scold Noctis like he did you about not ordering real food. However, he just stood there, still studying the menu above the counter as if he didn’t already place his order. Rolling your eyes, you turned to face Noctis who had taken a seat on one of the red stools. You watched as he rested his head on the counter and stared at nothing in particular with a glassy look in his eyes. Curious, you plopped down beside him and rested your head in your hand as you looked down at him. Noticing your presence, he glanced up at you.

            “Good morning, _your highness_ ,” You said in a mocking voice. He only rolled his eyes at you before shutting them. “Are we starting our journey to find Lunafreya today?”

            At the mention of the oracle’s name, his eyes snapped back open. “Luna is top priority but also I have to get my arms.”

            “Luna _freya_ is my _only_ priority. I will travel alone if I have to if that means finding her sooner.”

            “How’re ya gonna do that without a car?” Prompto said as he entered himself into the conversation, plopping onto the stool next to Noctis.

            “I found my way here to Hammerhead by myself without any trouble, didn’t I?” You smirked at the men.

            “You’re covered in scratches and bruises…”

            “You literally complained about your bullet wound before bed last night…”

            The smirk fell from your face as the two men stared blankly at you before a small smile slowly crept up on their faces. You could see how they were best friends. Still, they had a point. You survived but barely. If it weren’t for those refugees from Insomnia, who knew where’d you be at this moment.

            Letting out a heavy sigh, you hung your head in defeat. “Fine… I’ll go with you guys. Once I’m reunited with Lunafreya, though, I’m ditching you guys.”

            “Okay. Once we find Luna you can leave,” Noctis agreed.

            “Luna _freya_.” You emphasized the second half of her name. Geez, even at age 20, Noctis still couldn’t pronounce her name.

            “Luna, right.” He playfully smirked at you.

~!~

            This was it. Your journey was about to begin. The want to travel outside Tenebrae and see the world was about to begin. You just wished it was with Lunafreya and under different circumstances. You wished this wasn’t a journey to find out if your beloved sister was dead or not; a journey where you had to help the prince of Lucis officially become king. This journey wasn’t going to be an easy one. Niflheim was out for not only Noctis and the boys but you as well. People are going to get hurt. People are going to _die_. You just hoped it wouldn’t be any of the ones you’ve met.

            You looked over at the men who stood in front of the car they called the Regalia. Ignis was sitting in the driver’s seat, patiently waiting for the rest of you to join him in the car. Prompto and Noctis were talking to Cindy, Hammerhead’s owner’s granddaughter who worked on the car, and Gladiolus was in the backseat of the car reading a book. Your eyes then traveled back to Noctis as you fiddled with the ring on your finger. You had to ensure his safety. If – _when ­­_ – you found Lunafreya, you wanted to surprise her with the man she’s been in love with for so long. You could only imagine the look on her face, her smile radiating rays brighter than the sun. As you stared at Noctis while deep in your thoughts, you didn’t notice him turn to you as Cindy walked away and Prompto entered the passenger’s seat of the car.  

            “Ready to go?” He asked as he walked over to you, snapping you from your thoughts. Once you entered the car there was no turning back. Only the Gods knew what lay ahead. It would be a lie to say you weren’t scared. For twelve years you were locked away in the castle in Tenebrae under the protection of Lunafreya. Now, suddenly, you were thrown out into the real world where daemons and Imperial soldiers waited to strike at any given moment. You weren’t afraid of the battles, however; you could easily defend yourself against whatever was thrown at you. You were more so afraid of what you would discover. However, you knew you must keep your head up and continue to fight on. That’s what Lunafreya would have wanted you to do.

Letting out a heavy breath, you grinned at the prince before you.

“Let’s go!"


	4. The Chosen's Duties

                You rode in cars before. This wouldn’t be the first time you sat in the backseat of a car as it zoomed along the highway. When Queen Sylva was alive and times were simpler, she’d take Lunafreya, Ravus, and you to the city of Tenebrae sometimes to do royalty stuff like feed the homeless or watch Queen Sylva heal those affected by the plague. The car was usually black with tinted windows so no one could see inside. You sat in the back with Lunafreya and Ravus as your adoptive mother sat upfront with the driver. You never really found the joy of riding in cars because it felt stuffy.

            However, as the wind whipped through your hair that barely touched the top of your shoulders and the smell of nature overtook your senses, you realized maybe cars weren’t so bad. Well, maybe just the _Regalia_. The boys drove with the hood down so there was plenty of fresh air to inhale. You didn’t even mind being squished in between Noctis and Gladiolus. Gladiolus kept mostly still in the car while Noctis would either sit correctly or on the back of the car’s hood. Your eyes glanced everywhere as the desert landscape surrounded you. Tenebrae was mostly a wooded area so seeing the red dust and sand around amazed you. Lucis was a beautiful country, you concluded, and you haven’t even seen half of it yet.

            You imagined how Lunafreya would enjoy seeing this new environment. She’d probably scold you about not running around in the sand in fear of it staining your clothing. You’d ignore her rants and go off into the barren fields anyway. A smile graced your lips as you imagined this. How you prayed to the Gods that she was okay. You barely spoke to the Gods do to you blaming them for the hardships in your life, but for the sake of Lunafreya, you’d pray countlessly for her safety. She was all you had-

            “Hey, Y/N! Can I ask you something?” Prompto turned around his seat to look at you. You blinked at him before simple shrugging at the freckled man.

            “So I’m a photographer right-“

            “Here we go,” You heard Noctis mumble beside you. You glanced slightly at the prince before looking back to Prompto.

            “Anyways,” Prompto threw a glare to Noctis. “I was wondering if I could include you in my photos on this journey.”

            “Um… sure…” You shrugged again. “I’ve… never really taken a picture before…”

            “What?!” Prompto yelled suddenly causing Ignis to slightly swerve the car. He sent a sharp look at Prompto before focusing back on the road. Meanwhile, Noctis and Gladiolus were staring wide-eyed at you.

            “You’ve never taking a picture? Not even one?” Gladiolus asked, setting down the book he was reading in his lap. Suddenly this conversation was more interesting than whatever he was reading.

            “Nah,” You said. “What’s the big deal? It’s just a photo, right?”

            “Pictures help you remember the good times!” Prompto said. “I have tons of pictures already!”

            “What about the bad times?” You arched a brow at him.

            “Why take pictures of the bad times?”

            “Well, aren’t all memories important? The good and the bad?”

            “She has a point…” Gladiolus agreed with you. You turned your head towards him and gave him a bright grin.

            “Let me take a picture of you now! How about with just you and Noct? Aren’t you guys childhood friends?” Prompto asked as he pulled out his camera, readying it for the photo.

            “Uh-“

            “We can’t be friends,” Noctis said suddenly. Your eyes grew as he said that. The memory of a nine-year-old you sadly saying that to the young prince when he begged to be your friend flashed through your mind. He remembered that after all these years? Did it really have that much of an effect on him?

            “Huh?” Prompto blinked confusedly at the prince’s words. “Why not? I think you guys will become great friends on this trip!”

            “Just take the picture,” You mumbled in hopes of the topic changing. Prompto just nodded his head at you as he put the camera up to his eye.

            “You guys look so stiff. Relax. If we’re gonna fake a friendship might as well start now, right?”

            Noctis let out a small chuckle as he smirked towards the camera. You let out a quiet sigh as you looked up at the camera. Just as you were about to smile, the camera’s flash went off. Your eyes widened as you realized Prompto had taken the picture before you were ready.

            “Hey! I wasn’t ready!” You frowned at the freckled blond.

            “The best pictures are the off-guard ones! Don’t worry. We have a long journey. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to be prepared,” He laughed.

            “Great…”

~!~

            “Hey Noct,” Prompto called to the prince as they group made their way to one of the caves to meet Cor, the Marshal of the Crownsguard, to receive Noctis’s first royal arm.

            “Yeah?” Noctis said as he glanced to the freckled blond beside him. Ignis, Y/N, and Gladiolus were slightly ahead of the pair.

            “Do you think Y/N will be able to handle whatever’s inside that cave?” Prompto asked worriedly as they both glanced towards the raven-haired woman in front of them. They couldn’t see her face but they could tell by her body posture she was tense and on edge. The scratches and cuts she received from her solo journey to Hammerhead were visible on her exposed skin, the only thing being covered was her bullet wound.

            “She took on a train full of imperials and daemons in one day…” Noctis said as he looked away from her.

            “Yeah but what if, ya know, these daemons are extraordinarily huge and strong-“

            “Okay,” Y/N said as she suddenly stopped walking, causing the two behind her to almost bump into her backside. “I can hear everything you guys are saying. I’m not a damsel in distress. I can fend off whatever is in that cave.”

            “We don’t know that for sure, princess,” Gladiolus smirked at her as he and Ignis turned to see why everyone had suddenly stopped following them.

            “Princess?” A deep voice startled the five people. Everyone’s eyes widened and went into an immediate bow - with the exception of Noctis and Y/N – as a blond older guy walked out of the cave where the royal arm was being held. “There’s a princess among you?”

            “Cor…” Noctis said his name solemnly as Y/N glanced around confusedly.

            “Your highness, glad to see you are well and _alive_. Please stand, everyone,” Cor smirked at the men before his eyes fell on Y/N. Noctis glanced at the woman as she gave him a stoned expression.

            “Are you the princess among us?” Cor laughed slightly. “Looks like you’ve seen better day-“

            “Uh, she’s Lady Lunafreya’s sister, sir!” Prompto quickly interjected before Cor could continue his insult. Prompto didn’t know much about Y/N yet but he could tell she wasn’t the type to take things lightheartedly.

            “By adoption,” Ignis said as he pushed his glasses up. “She will be joining us on journey.”

            “Lady Lunafreya’s… have you heard anything from your sister?” Cor’s eyes widened as he took a step forward towards Y/N, reaching out slightly to her. However, she took a step back, preventing him from doing so, as she shook her head ‘no.’

            “Lunafreya has been reported… deceased…” Y/N swallowed hard. Noctis’s eyes fell on the woman’s hand as she balled it in a tight fist.

            "Okay, Cor, please explain what is going on,” Noctis grabbed onto Y/N’s shoulder to push her back some as he took a step towards the man.

            “Ah, right… about the King…”

~!~

            You swallowed back your tears as the words you spoke suddenly felt true. The past two days, you didn’t dare mention the possibility of Lunafreya being dead aloud but now… just now, you did. And you couldn’t handle it. Anger and sadness engulfed your body. You were angry at the Empire for killing your only family, angry at the Insomnia guards for not protecting Lunafreya better, pissed at this Cor guy for making you admit reality to yourself, but mostly, you were pissed at yourself for leaving Lunafreya behind that day. You could’ve been there to protect her – even if she didn’t tell you fully what was going on. Still, you could’ve prevented it.

            “Imperials above us!” Prompto shouted as an imperial ship flew above you guys, causing the wind to become ferocious and sand to blow everywhere.

            “You ready for this, small fr-“ Gladiolus shut up immediately as he saw you reach into the waist of your pants and remove two daggers. His eyes widened at the quality of the daggers. They were definitely a part of the Nox Fleuret weaponry as it held the Tenebrae symbol on them and the silver blades seemingly were melded together by Tenebrae’s national flower, sylleblossoms, giving it a purple-ish hue. 

            “Y/N, wait-“ Prompto called out as you blindly ran towards the barren field where the ship dropped off the soldiers. From afar, you could tell it was a mixture of their magitek soldiers and real ones. You gritted your teeth as they noticed your presence and began to aim their guns at you. Your eyes widened as a bullet came flying straight towards the middle of your forehead. Before you could dodge the bullet, you suddenly felt a pair of strong arms grab you before seeing a bright blue light engulf you and transport you behind a giant boulder. Your vision blurred before coming into focus as you looked towards the culprit – or savior – who still had their arms around your waist. Ocean blue eyes met yours briefly before he let go of you and transported – vaporized? – towards an imperial soldier, taking him down instantly. You stared in awe as Noctis, constantly engulfed in a blue light, drifted from soldier to solider. Your eyes then traveled to the others as they also seemed to possess this special magic blue light as their weapons suddenly appeared in their hands and began to take down soldiers.

            Coming to your senses and deciding to worry about the magical quartet later, you gripped onto the daggers that were still somehow in your hands and dashed towards an imperial with his back facing towards you. As you closed in on him, you noticed this was one of the magitek soldiers as the loud whirring could be heard the closer you got. It spun its head completely around to face you as it heard your impending feet but didn’t get a chance to react as you plunged one of your daggers into its weak spot – their glowing red eyes. Yanking the dagger out and watching it fall to the ground to disintegrate, you glanced over at Prompto who was constantly shooting at two magitek soldiers as they gained in on him. Smirking as you remembered his words earlier about not being able to handle yourself, you rushed over to his aide.

            “Aim for the eyes,” You said as he temporarily stopped shooting as he watched in awe as you aggressively aimed a dagger at the eye of the soldier closest to the two of you. Prompto’s mouth dropped as the soldier immediately fell to its death. “Pick you mouth up and fight, Prompto!”

            You rolled his eyes as he continued to stand in amazement – and possibly in shock – as you dashed towards the fallen trooper to retrieve your dagger. Just as you reached it, ready to yank your dagger out, the other soldier that had been coming after Prompto readied its axe to put an immediate end to you. You immediately let go of the dagger you were retrieving and dodged out of the way as a loud bang went off followed by the screeching sound of a magitek dying. You blinked as you watched it fall to the ground with a bullet sticking out of one of its eyes. Everything seemingly had been cleared out as the other’s made their way towards Prompto and you.

            “You guys okay?” Gladiolus asked as he shifted his eyes over to you as you went over to the soldier that still possessed your dagger in its eye.

            Yanking it out and putting is safely into the waist of your tights, you nodded your head at Gladiolus. “Just dandy.”

            With that you began to walk towards the cave, leaving the men behind in the process. Cor nodded his head at the others as he jogged slowly to catch up to you. The four boys followed behind him.

            “Hey…” Cor said as he caught up to your speed and was now walking directly next to you. “Where’d you learn to… fight like that? Looks like years of practice.”

            “My brother taught me,” You frowned as you kept your eyes forward, avoiding the man’s gaze. He cleared his throat as he sensed you weren’t really up for talking. Though he was partially right, the events that just occurred were still processing in your head. Like what was the blue light everyone possessed besides yourself? How did their weapons just appear like that as if magic? Of course, it wouldn’t surprise you if it were magic - your sister is the oracle after all. You’ve seen some pretty magical stuff in your 21 years of life. This, however, was new.

            “If I may ask, uh, how’d the Nox Fleuret’s find you? This is the first time anyone has mentioned of them having an adopted – uh – another member in the household?”

            You stopped walking to take a glance at the man beside you. His eyes widened as he watched as you observed him. He was built – that was for sure – but his face made him appear older than what he probably was. He’d probably witnessed and been through things that you couldn’t even fathom. He was keen on keeping the prince – king – safe and making sure he fulfilled his duty as new ruler. You knew his type. One mention of being affiliated with Niflheim and you’d be considered a threat to Noctis and his friends. You’d be left alone to find out just what had happened to Lunafreya and how to get back to Niflheim for your revenge. However, it would be far easier to travel with Noctis since you both shared similar goals. Glancing behind you at the boys who kept a safe distance from the you and this Cor guy, you looked back up at him.

            “Abandoned as a child. Queen Sylva took me in. End of story,” You shrugged as you began walking again, leaving him behind. It technically wasn’t a lie. Your father did disown you after your betrayal to your country.  

            “So, uh, what’s the game plan? We tackle some demons, retrieve some ancient sword, and find out where to go to next?” Prompto asked as the boys finally closed the distance.

            “By ‘we’ do you mean us?” Gladiolus motioned towards you, Noctis, and Ignis. “I saw how Y/N came to save your ass back there.”

            “H-hey! It was teamwork!”

            “Sure, buddy,” Noctis let out a stiff giggle as he walked past the man. You let out a small smile as you followed behind Noctis as he went inside of the cave.

~!~

            _“I promise you’ll love your gift! Just… a few more days, okay, Lunafreya?” Y/N smiled excitedly as she and Lunafreya stood at the front doors of the castle, preparing to leave for Insomnia._

_“I honestly don’t need anything but your happiness, darling,” Lunafreya smiled gently at the girl she claimed as her a little sister._

_“Your happiness is my happiness…”_

            “Lunafreya…” The voice of the messenger filled Lunafreya’s ears as she stood up quickly and rushed over towards the woman who stood in front of the door. After escaping Insomnia, Lunafreya was brought to Lestallum to stay for a while to get her thoughts together. Her official calling as oracle was beginning to play out. It was time for her to assist the Chosen King. After leaving Lestallum, she would travel to awaken the Gods and ask for them to lend their powers to Noctis. She knew by doing this it would lead to her ultimate death but, alas, that was the fate of the last oracle.

            However, she was distracted from her duties as she was unaware of Y/N’s wellbeing. She had gone to Insomnia to celebrate her 21st birthday. Lunafreya hasn’t heard word on her sister since the falling. She tried to push the idea that Ravus wouldn’t put their sister in danger but it still nagged the blonde woman in the back of her mind. What if he knew of the Empire’s plan to destroy Insomnia? They did have it out for Y/N, after all. It was a perfect opportunity to get rid of the young woman who they claimed betrayed them.

            “Any word of Y/N?” Lunafreya asked in a shaky voice, afraid of the answer Gentiana would give her. Gentiana kept a straight face making it hard for Lunafreya to read her expression.

            “No, I’m sorry. I am unable to detect her and Umbra is having difficulties locating her as well..”

            Lunafreya swallowed back the lump in her throat as Gentiana’s words rang through her head. Umbra and Y/N were extremely close. If anyone could sniff out the woman, it was Umbra.

            “Well… I hope where ever she is… she’s safe…” Lunafreya dropped her head to the floor to prevent Gentiana from witnessing the tears that were building up.

            “I know this is very unsettling for you, Lunafreya, but we cannot stay here too much longer. We must continue to fulfil your duties…”

            Lunafreya blinked back her tears as she looked up at Gentiana. “You’re right… we’ll set off tomorrow. I just pray to the Gods… my Y/N is safe…”

~!~

            “So, are you going to explain this blue light you possess or what?” You asked Noctis as you and the group traveled through the cave towards his first royal arm.

            “Sh, Y/N! The daemons might hear you if you’re so loud!” Prompto said as he trailed behind you. You stopped in your tracks and looked back at him in disbelief.

            “I know you’re not talking. I’ve known you for a day and you’re loud as hell-“

            “Settle down, children,” Ignis spoke up.

            You shrugged as you continued to walk beside Noctis. He was leading the group within the dark cave. Everyone had a flashlight except for yourself so you couldn’t rush through the cave as you would have liked. Though you weren’t afraid of what was inside or daemons attacking you, it was still safer to stay with the light and actually see when something jumps out at you with the intent of killing you. Noctis, being the only one you really knew, was your first choice of sticking close to. You had noticed while going through the cave that he didn’t talk much and when he did, it was him lowkey throwing shade at Prompto. Speaking of which, Prompto was the loudest of the group and you sensed he didn’t understand fully the danger all of you were possibly in. You figured he just spoke loudly to cover up his inner fear. It was kind of like how you turned to dark humor to cover up your inner emotions about your troubled past.

            “You don’t know about the power the Lucis Caelum family holds?” Gladiolus arched a brow at you. He walked faster up to you so now you were walking between him and Noctis. Though you enjoyed his presence, you wished he would’ve stayed behind a little as this cave was tight and he was, well, huge.

            “King Noctis Lucis Caelum, ruler of Lucis. The chosen king or something?” You were unsure about the last part. You only remembered because you heard Lunafreya mention it to you and him when you were little. It never interested you to learn about Noctis and his royal duties so you’d just tune her out. On multiple occasions, Lunafreya attempted to tell you the story of Eos but you just weren’t interested as you knew it would lead to her mentioning Noctis. And just mentioning the boy around you used to cause you to gag at the little romance they had going on.

            “You don’t know about the power of the crystal?” Gladiolus asked.

            “Nope.”

            “That’s where his powers come from. The Lucis Caelum family is to protect it until the chosen king comes along. The crystal holds special powers that will be used to cure Eos of the scourge. It also, however, grants powers to the king to warp at the speed of light and he is allowed to pass on some of these powers to others, more so, the kings glaive,” Ignis explained to you.

            “Ah, so that’s how you teleported me out of the way, thanks for that by the way…” You said. Noctis just shrugged it off.

            “Hey! Is that it?!” Prompto asked as the five of you reached a section of a cave that had a wooden door entailed with gold hedges and a marble structure above it.

            “Has to be,” Noctis said as he pulled out a key from his pocket. Cor had given him a key that would unlock all of the tombs outside the cave before ditching you guys.

            You watched as Noctis walked towards the door and readying himself to enter the key into the lock. However, just as he was about to do so, a loud screeching noise was heard, causing everyone to cover their ears. You whipped your head behind you as you witnessed a huge daemon surface from the ground. Jumping into action, Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis summoned their weapons and began to attack the monster. Hurriedly trying to assist them, you fumbled with your tights to pull out your daggers. You didn’t know why it was taking so long for you to pull them out. It was dark besides from the tiny light emitting from the tomb and you couldn’t really focus. It was now you regretted wearing black tights.

            Before you could place your hand on one of your daggers, you felt someone quickly, but gently, grab your hands. It was dark so you couldn’t see who it was. All you knew, this wasn’t the time to be flirting with you.

            “What the hel-“ You were cut off as a blue light emitted from the person’s hands – one which was gloved – and into your hands where they absorbed the light. You glanced away from your hands and up to Noctis just as he let go of your hands and warped towards the daemon to assist his friends. Confused as to what that was all about, you patted down your waist only to feel nothing there.

            “Uh guys!” You said as the realization that you may have lost your weapons somewhere in the cave. That was weird, however, as your daggers have never fell through your waistline or pockets before. You didn’t even remember hearing them drop. “I sort of lost my daggers…”

            “What?” Prompto whipped his head towards you as you stood helplessly near the tomb, watching as they took on the daemon themselves. “I saw you put them in your waistband!”

            “I know – I just! I can use my combat skills-“

            “Think of your daggers and they’ll come to you,” Noctis shouted over to you as he warped away from the daemon that tried to slash away at him.

            You blinked confusedly at him before holding your hands out and thinking of your daggers. Not really knowing what to do, you just kept repeating and asking in your head for them to appear. However, nothing did.

            “Um…”

            “Like really think about them!” Gladiolus yelled. “Don’t just ask for them to appear!”

            Getting frustrated and just wanting to get into the action before they destroyed the daemon themselves, you thought of your daggers and how they were both welded from sylleblossoms. They were quite old but held up great strength. Apparently, one of Lunafreya’s ancestors used them in some war centuries ago. No one had used them until you took possession of them. As you thought of the daggers, the same blue light that you’ve seen several times today emitted from your hands and suddenly you felt the roughness of the leather handle of the daggers. A smile slowly spreading on your face, you looked in awe as your daggers were now both in your hands.

            “Stop gawking, princess. Come help!” Gladiolus shouted as he slashed at the daemon’s foot, bringing it harshly to the ground with a scream. Nodding, you ran towards the fallen daemon and jumped towards it, plunging your daggers in its head in the process. That appeared to be the last of its life as it screamed loudly again as it died. Before it could disappear, however, your daggers flashed back to your hands.

            You blinked in amazement. “That was… _amazing!_ ”

            “Right? Now you’re officially one of us!” Prompto grinned at you. You ignored him as you continued to practice your new gift. Lunafreya would be amazed once she saw this.

            Lunafreya...

            The smile on your face immediately fell as you thought of your deceased sister. Gaining this new power made you temporarily forget the reality you lived in. Noctis seemed to notice your change in mood as he walked up behind you and placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. You turned to look up at him and gave a weak smile.

            “I’m fine... go on… get your grandpa’s sword or whatever…” You urged him to go on. He just nodded at you before walking back to the tomb to unlock the door.

            The four of you followed Noctis into the tomb where the clay statue of one of the past kings laid. Your mouth dropped in amazement as you walked over to the table the late ruler of Lucis rested. Your eyes left the statue as they shifted over to Noctis who hesitantly approached the table. Carefully, he reached his arm out towards the sword that the statue held and the blue light that you had been used to seeing now lit up the room. Your eyes widened as the sword lifted from the king’s grasp and floated midair for a while before stabbing Noctis in is chest, disappearing inside of him.

            “Noctis!” You suddenly yelled as he stumbled back slightly, the grimace on his face showing the clear pain he was in. As you were about to run to his aid, Ignis grabbed onto your arm to stop you. You whipped your head to glare at the man but before you could say anything, the lighting in the room returned to normal causing you to lose your train of thought.

            “I’m fine,” Noctis said as he looked over at you and Ignis. Shrugging your arm from his grasp, you just nodded your head at him. “Let’s go find somewhere to camp. I’m tired.”

~!~

            The boys were inside of the tent preparing to sleep while you sat outside around the firepit. You looked up at the dark night sky as you let out a heavy sigh. Was Lunafreya up there? She had to be. She was the oracle, after all. If she was, was she looking down on you and watching you journey with Noctis? You could see her now, laughing with the Gods and Gentiana, about how you ended up traveling with the man you once couldn’t tolerate being in the same room as. Of course, that was when you were a child. As an adult, you didn’t resent Noctis as much. He was a pretty okay guy for someone who has such a burden on his shoulders. Then again, you’ve only spent one entire day with him so far and he didn’t seem that unspoken. You giggled to yourself as you pictured a would’ve been Noctis and Lunafreya reunion. Lunafreya spoke her mind so it wouldn’t be surprising if she told Noctis everything that was on her mind while the shy man just quietly agreed, only speaking to say some unimportant two cents.

            “Y/N, we got word from Iris,” You turned to the sound of the voice as they exited from the tent. It was Ignis. Remembering how he prevented you from helping Noctis from earlier, you rolled your eyes and turned your attention back to the fire. You didn’t remove them from the orange glow as he sat beside you.

            “Look, I know you’re probably upset for the way I handled you-“

            “Handled me?” You snapped your head towards him in anger. “ _Handled me?!_ ”

            “Sorry, poor choice of words,” Ignis cleared his throat. “I do, however, apologize for my behavior from earlier. It’s just I couldn’t let you interfere with what was happening to Noct-“

            “Noctis was in pain. What the hell?” You hissed through your teeth. “Did you think I was just going to sit there and watch my sister’s fiancé in pain like the rest of you did?”

            “It’s part of his calling to go through these difficulties, unfortunately, there’s not much we can do to ease His Highness’s pain,” Ignis frowned solemnly.

            “You wouldn’t know unless you try,” You returned his frown.

            Ignis was quiet as he took in your words. How could they call themselves Noctis’s friends if they could watch him suffer in pain – even if it was only a brief pain. Lunafreya is reportedly dead. Ravus betrayed you. You only had Noctis now. Though you didn’t want to claim it, he was your only family now and you weren’t going to allow him to get hurt. You failed to protect Lunafreya but you’d be damned if you wouldn’t succeed in protecting the one she loved. It’s the last thing you could do for her. Tears began to well up in your eyes as you thought of her. Why was all of this happening? Why now?

            “You’re correct,” You looked at Ignis as he said this. He awkwardly pushed his glasses up as he saw the tears in your eyes. “I apologize if I upset you. As Noct’s advisor, his wellbeing is my top priority and if I could take the pain he suffered today and will suffer from in the future, the Gods know I would in a heartbeat, however, I am also aware he must go through the pain to become stronger.”

            You just nodded your head to signal you understood or would try to at the least. Turning your head back to the fire, you and Ignis sat in a slightly less tense silence.

            “So, as I was saying before, Gladiolus has heard from Iris, his sister.”

            What did that have to do with you?

            “She’s in Lestallum…”

            Good for her.

            “Lunafreya recently left to continue her oracle duties in assisting Noctis…”

            Your eyes widened as you looked quickly over to Ignis. Did he just say…? Did that mean…?

            “Lunafreya… is alive…?” You whispered softly.

            Ignis let out a comforting smile.

            “Alive and well.”


	5. Dead or Alive?

            It was times like this you wished you paid more attention to Lunafreya whenever she mentioned her duties as oracle and what she had to do in the future to ensure Noctis rose to his calling. If you would have had put your jealousy of Noctis and Lunafreya’s relationship aside, then maybe now, at age 21, you’d know the exact location as to which Lunafreya was heading. However, you didn’t know where she was going but only knew that she was alive. If she was alive then that meant Gentiana was with her without a doubt. You knew the divine messenger would do her best to keep Lunafreya alive at all costs.

            Still, you fidgeted in the cramped tent you shared with the boys as the excitement of being somewhere Lunafreya had been merely hours ago excited you. Maybe she knew you were with Noctis and left something at Lestallum to let you know she was alright? Why wasn’t it morning yet? After Ignis told you your sister was alive, you begged him to drive you guys up to Lestallum then and there. Ignis, however, told you the trip to Lestallum from where you guys were now was an entire day’s trip and it would be dangerous driving while the daemons were lurking about.

            _“Didn’t you see me take them on today? We can handle them!”_

_“It’s far too dangerous. We cannot take the risk.”_

            You even offered to drive for them despite not having driven a car a day before in your life. To settle your excited nerves, Ignis promised to wake up at the crack of dawn and drag Noctis and Prompto to the car in order to arrive in the city by sunset. Of course, the promise didn’t come without a compromise. In return, you had to awaken early as well and assist the older man with preparing breakfast. You tried to tell him you didn’t know how to cook – considering you acknowledged as royalty a majority of your life and having personal chefs despite being held hostage – Ignis didn’t take no for an answer.

            So, here you were, snugged tightly between Noctis and Prompto. You barely had any arm room and Noctis decided to use everyone’s little space for all his limbs. That meant you had to deal with his left leg crossed over your legs and his arm stretched over your head and hand literally resting on Prompto’s face. How the blond man didn’t wake up and push him off was a mystery to you. The other side of the tent was Gladiolus and Ignis. Gladiolus – Gladdy Daddy as you preferred to call him – was balled up in a corner while Ignis was curled in the opposite one. You knew you should’ve chosen to sleep on their side. They didn’t seem to invade privacy in their sleep. Still, you chose to be next to Noctis. It was weird to you how you had been clinging to him since he found you at the diner in Hammerhead. You guess he was somewhat your prince in shining armor. You snorted slightly as the thought came to your head. A 9-year-old you would be disowning the 21-year-old you if she knew you just called Noctis that right now.

            Still, seeing Noctis alive and knowing he was trying to find Lunafreya along with you made you feel safe in his presence. You remembered the time you snooped through his and Lunafreya’s notebook and saw how many times he asked about you, your life, and how he wished he could save Lunafreya and you from the Empire’s clutches. Sighing, you turned over slightly to face the new king. You froze as he shifted his leg off you and back to his own body. Seeing that he was still asleep, you let out a quiet breath you were unaware of holding.

            His black hair slowly rose and fell back into place as his gentle breath blew against it. Your eyes studied his entire face and couldn’t help but wonder what he was dreaming about. The frown plastered on his lips and the knitted eyebrows told you it wasn’t a pleasant dream. Was it about Lunafreya? Or his duties as the chosen king? Maybe… it was about his dad.

            You knew King Regis had been officially reported dead but Noctis hadn’t brought him up in the past two days. He had to be hurting. You knew what it was like to lose a parent but not through death. Well, there was your mom. She apparently died while you were still an infant. Your father refused to mention her and banned you from ever saying her name. You assumed it was because it brought back painful memories but the angered look on your father’s face said so otherwise.

            “I can’t wait for Lunafreya to see you again…” You smiled gently as you carefully brushed some of his hair from his face. He twitched slightly from your touch but the frown on his face slowly curled upwards to a tiny smile as his overall face seemed to release the tension it held before. Moving your arm back to your side, you let out a heavy sigh, and tried to fall back asleep.

~!~

            “Y/N… Y/N, it’s time to wake up,” You felt yourself being shaken gently. Groaning, you opened your eyes and squinted in the darkness of the tent to make out green eyes covered by glasses. Ignis…

            “Five more minutes,” You frowned as you try to shoo him away.

            Ignis let out a small chuckle at your response. “Do you want to get to Lestallum in a timely manner or would you like to spend another night in a tent?”

            That caused your eyes to immediately open and you to suddenly sit up. Prompto, who slept on your left side, let out an annoyed moan while his highness didn’t seem fazed from the swift movement.

            “Let’s go! Let’s get cooking!”

            “Actually, Gladio is in the field waiting to train you. I’ve got breakfast covered,” Ignis said as he stood up and began to exit the tent. You arched a brow at the man. Why was Gladiolus waiting for you? Shrugging, you carefully stood up and exited the tent.

            Squinting your eyes to shield them from the rising sun, you finger brushed your bed hair to somewhat tame it, making sure it covered the scar on your neck. You glanced around the campsite and saw Ignis cooking over the newly lit fire. From the smell you could tell it was bacon and maybe eggs? You weren’t too sure. Glancing over to the sandy field to your left, you saw Gladiolus skillfully swinging his sword around. Grinning, you jogged over to where he was.

            “Good morning, princess,” Gladiolus greeted you without taking his focus off his sword.

            “Good morning, Gladdy!” You grinned at him. Besides Noctis, you could say you were comfortable around Gladiolus. It was hard to describe but you felt protected around him. He reminded of you when you were younger and Queen Sylva had personal guards follow Lunafreya and you around, protecting you both from harm’s way. After her death, the only ones left to protect you were Imperial soldiers, also known as the ones who wanted you dead.

            “Ignis said you wanted to see me?”

            “Yeah, I wanted to train with you a little, see what you got,” He stopped swinging his sword and looked over at you.

            “Yesterday wasn’t proof enough for you that I’m talented?” You smirked at him as you placed a hand on your hip.

            “You were alright, kid. But if you’re gonna be traveling with us then you need to be prepared from some serious monsters out there.”

            “I’m only with you guys until I’m back with my sister. Also, my brother has prepared me for the worst. Don’t forget I fought off an entire army of Imperials on a train by myself,” You playfully dusted off your shoulder.

            “Is that all you have under your belt?” Gladiolus let out a chuckle. The smirk on your face fell at his remark. It was, in fact, all you had under your belt. You’ve never been into serious fights before.

            “Uh… well…”

            “Thought so. I’m not saying you can’t kick ass. I’m just saying a little practice can go a long way, princess.”

            “Okay, if you keep calling me princess then I’m calling you Gladdy Daddy,” You frowned at the older man.

            Gladiolus arched a playful brow at you. “You’re a flirt, aren’t you? Do as you wish.”

            You summoned your daggers as a smile appeared on your face. “Just a tad.”

~!~

            “Someone’s in a good mood,” Noctis greeted you as he entered the car. You had already made yourself comfy in the middle of the backseat, impatiently waiting for the others to load the car. Gladiolus and Prompto were packing up the camp stuff while Ignis was checking the car, making sure it was ready for the long day’s trip ahead. Noctis had did his part of cleaning and packing the dishes Ignis had used earlier. You offered to help but they said they could handle everything so you just sat in the car, listening to some of the music Prompto had brought along for their road trip.

            “Lunafreya’s alive! And I’m going to get more information on how she’s doing when we get to this Lestallum place! Of course, I’m in a – hey, are you okay?” Your eyes widened as Noctis suddenly grabbed his head in pain. The grimace on his face said he was in extreme pain. Panicking, you looked around for Ignis who was under the hood of the car.

            “Ignis! Ignis, something wrong is with Noctis!” You called over to him in a worried voice. Ignis immediately lifted his head from the hood to see the young king in pain. Your words caused the other two men to rush over to the car in worry.

            “Noct, what’s wrong?!” Gladiolus asked as he approached the raven-haired man.

            Noctis let go of his head as he shook off whatever just overcame him. He looked at the guys around him before landing them on your widened ones. You knew he could see the complete worry in them as your arms stood frozen in front of you, ready to comfort him in whatever way possible.

            “I’m fine… a headache just came over me…”

            “Are you sure, Noct? We have some pain meds in the glove department,” Prompto said in a shaky voice. He was just as worried as you were.

            “I’m fine, really. No need to worry,” He said this while shifting his eyes over at you again. “Are we ready to go?”

            “Everything is in order. Y/N, are you ready?” Ignis asked as he entered the driver’s side of the Regalia.

            You just nonchalantly nodded your head at him as you kept your gaze on Noctis. He rested his head in the palm of his hand as his arm leaned against the car door. His eyes were closed and you couldn’t tell if he was sleep or just resting his eyes to recover from the pain he was just in.

            _“…Noctis asks about me?” A 17-year-old you asked Lunafreya one day as you caught her replying to the recent message he had sent her._

_“Quite often!” Lunafreya looked up at you and gave you a genuine happy smile. “I’m so happy you two get along well now!”_

_“Well, I haven’t seen the guy since I was nine but, sure, we get along,” You shrugged as you plopped beside her on her bed. “What’d he say about me?”_

_“Shouldn’t you know? Gentiana told me you sometimes snoop in our messages?” Lunafreya smirked playfully at you. Meanwhile, your face turned beet red._

_“I, uh, I was just curious! I’m sorry for eavesdropping!” You apologized nervously._

_“It’s fine, Y/N. As I said, I’m overjoyed that you two get along well,” She went back to her writing. You just let a tiny smile come upon your face. Seeing Lunafreya this happy made your heart feel warm. If you knew that indirectly admitting you tolerate the young prince now would make Lunafreya so happy, you would’ve admitted to her years ago that you haven’t held a grudge against Noctis since the day you declared you both couldn’t be friends._

_“He asks about your neck pains…” Lunafreya suddenly said. “He says he wishes that there was some way he could make your pain go away.”_

_A small blush came upon your face at her words. Your hand slowly went up to the scar on your neck. Since the injury was literally on top of an important artery in your neck, it occasionally caused an immense pain to overcome you – leaving you in complete agony for a few seconds._

_“He worries about me…” You smiled slightly to yourself, unknowingly that Lunafreya heard your words. She looked up at you with a saddened smile on her face before looking back at the notebook in front of her._

            “I’m fine, really, you can stop staring…” Noctis suddenly said, bringing you back to present times. You blinked at him to notice that you were, indeed, still staring at him.

            “Sorry… just worried…” You let out a heavy sigh as you turned to look in front of you.

~!~

            Your eyes widened in awe as the city of Lestallum slowly came into view. The sun was setting so the light shined on it to give it the feel of a haven. It was different from the city of Tenebrae which, though a city, was covered in greenery around almost every corner. As Ignis parked the car, your heart grew in excitement. Lunafreya was here just _yesterday_. She saw this amazing new scenery. She was breathing in the same air as you. She was _alive_.

            You immediately began to hop out the car, climbing over Noctis in the process. The king widened his eyes at your action, only to grab hold of your waist as you almost fell out the car. You froze at the feeling of his hands on you as a light blush came upon your face. Why were you blushing? You didn’t know exactly. Maybe you were just embarrassed at how excited you were to rush into the town.

            _Click!_

            “What the hell?” Noctis said as he immediately let go of you, causing you to fall on the ground after all.

            “What the hell!?” You repeated as you sat up from the ground, glaring up at Noctis who was glaring at Prompto.

            Prompto grinned innocently as he tucked his camera away. “I saw a great shot and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!”

            “The opportunity to watch me fall on my ass?” You turned the glare to Prompto. If your face was red from embarrassment before, well, now it was out of anger.

            “Well, technically it was your face,” Prompto suppressed a chuckle.

            “Prompto,” Ignis gave the blond a warning glare before exiting the car.

            “Can you children settle down so I can go see my baby sister?” Gladiolus frowned at Noctis, Prompto, and you.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go.” Noctis said as he exited the car, stepping over you who was still planted on the ground. He looked down briefly at you for a second before holding a hand for you to grab to pull you up. Pushing his hand aside, you jumped up and walked off to catch up with Gladiolus and Ignis who were leaving the three of you behind.

            “I’ve never met Lunafreya but I can tell they’re nothing alike…” Prompto chuckled as he and Noctis watched as you excitedly pointed towards the food vendors across the street from the parking lot. He watched as you grabbed Gladiolus’s and Ignis’s hands and attempted to drag them across the street.

            “… They’re more alike than you think…”

~!~

            “Any word on the traitor?”

            “Please refrain from calling my sister that-“

            “Sister my ass. She’s just someone your mother took pity on and took in. You could’ve easily dropped her after we rid of your mot-“

            “Aldercapt, I’ve been part of your army for the last 12 years without problem and do as you ask. Even down to the point of killing off Y/N. Leave the history between how she became part of _my_ family out of this.”

            “Your brat of a sister is a _traitor_ to her country. What makes you think she wouldn’t betray you as well?”

                “Does it matter?!” Ravus spat at Ideolas Aldercapt, the emperor of Niflheim. “She’s dead! It doesn’t matter anymore! I’ve killed my sister!”

                Ravus’s knees suddenly gave out as he finally spoke the words he’s been trying to suppress the last couple of days. He killed her. He killed Y/N. When he mentioned to Aldercapt of Y/N’s 21st birthday wish, he knew it would end in the woman’s death. Her birthday just happened to fall directly in line with the Empire’s plans of overtaking Lucis and killing the royal family. Aldercapt was all for it, of course. The image of Y/N’s cheerful smile the day he told her that her request had been approved flashed through Ravus’s mind. Her going to Insomnia wasn’t even for herself. It was for _Lunafreya_. Everything Y/N did was for Lunafreya. Ravus did all he could to protect his blood sister but Y/N put her life in danger multiple times to protect her even more – she even gave up what – _who ­-_ she wanted the most just to see Lunafreya smile.

_“Why do you hate Prince Noctis?” A 16-year-old Ravus asked a nine-year old Y/N._

_“He took Lunafreya from me…” The young girl pouted. “She’s **mine** …”_

_A gentle smile came across the teen’s lips as he bent down to Y/N’s height. “Is that the real reason?”_

_The little girl stubbornly nodded her head as she crossed her arms._

_“Well, I think you’re lying,” Ravus ruffled the girl’s hair as he stood back up. The little girl in front of him face flushed before she shook her head again._

_“I’m not lying, brother! Noctis irritates me! He’s always around Lunafreya, taking her attention away from me and they don’t even notice when I’m around! It’s not fair!”_

_“Have you tried being friends with him? You three could make an awesome trio…”_

_“I can’t be friends with Prince Noctis… ever,” The girl huffed but her eyes sadly drifted to the floor for a split second. Ravus arched a brow at this as he suddenly got the feeling she was hiding something. “Besides… he makes her so happy. I could never take away Lunafreya’s happiness…”_

_“You wouldn’t be taking her happiness by befriending the prince?” Ravus said, confusedly. What did the girl mean?_

_“I would…” Was all she said before she exited the young man’s room. Ravus sat on his bed deep in thought. He knew the young girl was experiencing her first crush but… what else was she hiding?_

                “Ah, young high commander, your dear sister is not dead… and I’m not talking about Lunafreya either,” A voice, in a poetic tone which each word he spoke, said as footsteps clicked on the floor towards Aldercapt and Ravus.

                “Chancellor Izunia!” Aldercapt said. “What’s wrong? How’s the plan going? What do you mean the traitor isn’t dead?”

                The red-haired main tilted the brim of his hat up as he smirked at the men before him. “Call me Ardyn, please…”

~!~

                Your eyes widened in awe as the five of you entered the hotel in Lestallum. You couldn’t remember the last time you stepped foot inside a nice hotel. Though it was only a couple of days ago since you went to Insomnia, it felt like it had been ages. You eagerly went up to the receptionist desk with Prompto and Ignis as Gladiolus and Noctis sat around the white plush couch that served as the centerpiece of the hotel lobby.

                “Uh… room for… two, I guess?” Ignis said unsurely as he shifted his eyes over to you. You returned his gaze as a smirk appeared on your face.

                “Tired of sharing sleeping spaces with me already, _Specs_ ,” You said his nickname that you’ve heard the other guys toss around a couple of times while traveling. You stifled in a giggle as the man’s face began to turn red and his glasses fogged slightly.

                “N-no, it’s just I thought maybe you’d like your own space…” He stammered as he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the receptionist. Prompto threw you a look which you only responded with an innocent smile.

                “I’m sorry, sir.  We only have one room available as we’re hosting refugees from Insomnia. However, there is one room that is being occupied by a guest who I’m sure wouldn’t mind sharing…” The receptionist apologized.

                “Who?” You arched a brow. This was too much trouble. You weren’t up for spending the night with a stranger. You’d rather bunk with the boys. Besides, you’ve gotten used to their presence. You were afraid your feelings of loneliness would return if you were apart from them.

                “Gladdy!” A high-pitched, excited voice yelled out as a pair of feet could be heard thumping down the carpeted stairs of the hotel lobby. You turned your attention to the girl who you decided _stole_ the half of the nickname you came up for Gladiolus. Your eyes widened as a young girl, maybe 15 or 16, ran over to Gladiolus and attacked him in a hug. You watched as he ruffled the girl’s hair – much to her dismay – before returning her hug.

                “Iris Amicitia. Gladio’s little sister…” Ignis whispered over to you. Ah, so that’s why she was so excited to see the big guy. Prompto, Ignis, and you walked over to the hugging siblings as Noctis stood up. As Iris removed herself from Gladiolus, she looked at Noctis and her eyes immediately widened.

                “Noctis! You’re alive! I mean, of course you’re alive, but-“ You tuned her out as you watched her ramble on. You took in her posture as she spoke to Noctis who seemed happy to see her but also as if he wanted something else out of the young woman. She was shorter than Noctis – slightly taller than yourself – and her hands didn’t know where they wanted to rest as if they were constantly anxious. A blush that was on her pale face now but wasn’t there before caught your attention as well. The girl – Iris – also seemed to sway a little and lean in towards Noctis as he spoke to her. A smirk immediately enlightened your lips as you realized; Iris Amicitia had a crush on Noctis.

                “How cute,” You said to yourself.

                “What is?” Prompto asked as he looked over to you. You just shrugged to let him to brush it off.

                “Iris, this is Y/N Nox Fleuret… she’s L-“

                “Lady Lunafreya’s sister!” Another high-pitched voice said. “Wow! She wasn’t lying when she said she had a sister! And she’s pretty!”

                “Talcott, show respect,” An older, mature voice said.

                You turned towards the stairs again and saw a little boy and an old man descending the flight. Well, the little boy was running while the old man took his time. The little kid – Talcott, you guessed was his name – ran to you and did a complete bow much to your surprise.

                “Uh… kid… it’s okay. I’m not really royalty…” You nervously laughed as you awkwardly patted his bowed head. He immediately shot up and grinned at you before turning his attention to Noctis.

                “Whoa! Prince Noctis! I’m like your biggest fan! I think you’re so-“

                “Talcott! That’s enough!” The old man said as he finally caught up to the crowd. “Your highness, it’s a pleasure…”

                “Jared…” Noctis nodded his head at the old man.

                “I’m sorry to hear about your father… he was a good friend of mine…”

                Noctis immediately tensed up at the mentioning of his father but let it go soon after. “It’s okay… part of life… I guess. I heard Luna was here…”

                “She was! She’s so pretty!” Talcott said. “I wish to marry someone as pretty as her one day like you are, Prince Noctis!”

                At this, Noctis shot you a look which caused you to arch your brow. What was with the sudden look? He should be agreeing with the kid like you were. Noctis better be grateful someone as beautiful as Lunafreya even gave him the time of day.

                “Speaking of Luna…” Noctis spoke up as he turned his attention to Iris and Jared.

                “Ah, right, Lady Lunafreya…”

~!~

                It turned out the woman who didn’t mind sharing her hotel room with you was Iris. That made you feel somewhat better as she was the sister of Gladiolus and she seemed like a pretty chill teenager. She noticed how badgered your clothes were and lent you some of her pajamas and even promised to take you into the city in the morning to buy you some more clothing for the trip. Her treat. You sat on the hotel bed across from hers as you watched her prepare for bed. She somewhat reminded you of Lunafreya as she prepped herself by washing her face and teeth thoroughly, then brushing her hair and tying it up in a red headband to keep the hair out of her face during the night. You could easily tell she was part of the royalty life – even if it was just by her family protecting the past kings and queens of Lucis.

                “So, Y/N… do I call you Lady Y/N?” Iris arched a brow at you as she sat across from you on her bed, finally finished with her routine.

                “Just call me Y/N,” You shrugged at the girl.

                “Cool, cool. So, I know I told you and the guys earlier about Lady Lunafreya’s plan…”

                Apparently, Lunafreya was going around awakening the Gods so they could lend their power to Noctis. Ultimately, everyone would meet in Altissia – the original place Noctis was supposed to meet her. In the end, it would help Noctis fulfil his duties.

                “Yeah… thanks for telling me she’s safe… I was so worried,” You let out a heavy breath you’ve been holding in for a while.

                “No problem, however, Lady Lunafreya… she’s super worried about you…”

                Your eyes widened at Iris’s words. “What? Why”

                “She thinks… you’re dead…” Iris said slowly as if wanting you to take in each word she said. Lunafreya thought you were dead? Why would she think that? If anything, for the past couple of days, you thought _she_ was dead. Lunafreya was well aware you could handle yourself against enemies. She often warned you not to start drama with the guards who roamed the castle in Tenebrae, after all. What gave off the impression that you were dead, unless, she knew of the Empire’s plan to attack Insomnia. However, that didn’t sound right as she was so excited as she secretly prepared to be wedded to Noctis. She must’ve recently found out another way – that meant she also knew Ravus betrayed you as a brother.

                “How? Why? Is she okay? What did she say?” You eagerly asked Iris as you felt warm tears filling up your eyes. If Lunafreya thought you were dead then you knew she was probably staggering along in her journey broken on the inside. Lunafreya wasn’t the type to let her inner emotions show to the world as she was constantly under the spotlight as oracle. If the oracle was crying or upset about something, then the world needed to start preparing for the worst. The thought of Lunafreya suffering from being ignorant of your current status bothered you. You had to find a way to tell her you were alive and okay. But how? There was Umbra but you hadn’t seen your beloved companion since he ditched at the train station in Insomnia. Was Umbra even still alive?

                “She had some dark, mysterious woman with her and a white dog,” Iris said. You knew immediately who she was referring to – Gentiana and Pryna. “The dark lady said something about another dog unable to pick up your scent to find you and she couldn’t locate you, either. I wish I knew you were with Gladdy at the time, I would’ve let them know you were okay.”

                “Thanks, Iris…” Was all you said as you took the information in. Why couldn’t Umbra and Gentiana locate you? Was there some sort of mysterious force around you that made it difficult to locate? At least you knew that Umbra was still alive and actively searching for you. You knew once he eventually found you, you’d leave the boys and go with the dog back to Lunafreya.

                “No problem, but hey, shouldn’t we get some sleep? I overheard from Talcott and Jared that you guys were going to some waterfall cave to get a royal arm tomorrow.”

                “Yeah…” Was all you said as you fully climbed into bed, suddenly remembering you probably had a long day ahead of you in the morning. “You’re right. I forgot.”

                “No problem! Just don’t forget that you, Noctis, and I are going shopping tomorrow! You can’t back out of it,” Iris sent you a playful glare. You let out a small chuckle at the girl as you closed your eyes.

                “I won’t forget.”


	6. Chancellor Ardyn

          Your ears perked up slightly as the shuffling around the room awakened you from your sleep. Your eyes remained shut as you weren’t ready for the blinding sunlight that usually shone from the huge uncovered windows in Lunafreya and your shared room to fully wake you up. You stifled in a giggle as you heard Lunafreya apparently stub her toe against something. It was quite weird as you were usually the clumsy one and not the oracle. Lunafreya was always an early bird and tried to quietly move around the room as she prepared herself for the day. You were surprised she hasn’t ran over to you to awaken you and beg you to have breakfast with her. She’d be surprised to see you were already awake. Stretching on your comfortable bed, you turned your body to face upwards and opened your eyes to meet a plain beige ceiling. Confusion immediately washed over you as the room you’ve shared with your sister since you were nine had always been a solid white. Blinking, you sat up and realized you were not in your bedroom in Tenebrae.

            “Ah, Y/N! Morning! Did I wake you? I’m sorry!” A young girl greeted you with a sheepish smile on her face. She was amid applying some mascara in the mirror that hung on the wall near the door.

            “I…um…” You swallowed as you stared at the girl. She resembled… Gladiolus. Suddenly, the events of the past few days came rushing back to you. You were traveling with Prince Noctis and his friends in search of Lunafreya. Well, they had other tasks at hand but your main – and only – task was to reunite with your sister. Along with this, you remembered that the girl you shared a room with was Gladiolus’s – Gladdy Daddy as you preferred to call him – younger sister. That explained the resemblance.

            “Well since you’re up, get dressed! I think Noct and the others already up!”

            “Get dressed...? Oh – oh! For the temple we’re going to today?” You asked as you began to climb out of bed. You glanced down and saw yourself in a black ruffle-y nightgown and scrunched up your face. The memory of Iris letting you borrow some of her clothes also flashed through your mind. You just couldn’t wait to see what outfit she had planned to let you use for today.

            “No! That’s later. We’re going shopping for some more clothes for you, remember? Noctis is joining us!” Iris grinned at you through the mirror.

            “Why?” You arched a brow. Noctis didn’t seem like the type to want to follow two girls on a shopping trip. Granted, you weren’t too fond on attending the trip as well but you couldn’t continue to travel in your tattered clothes that you’ve been wearing since you first arrived in Insomnia.

            “I wanted him to come…” She said shyly, a light blush appearing on her face. This caused a smirk to instantly appear on yours.

            “Ah, I see. You have a crush on my future brother-in-law,” You teased her while reminding her that Noctis was, in fact, engaged to your sister.

            “Wha-? No! I don’t like Noct like that! He’s like way older than me and-“

            “Chill. I’m kidding. I won’t tell Noctis you have a crush,” You got up and headed towards the bathroom. Before you closed the door to get ready, you turned to face Iris and threw a sly smirk at her. “I’ll just tell Gladdy instead.”

            “What!?” Iris shouted, her face now red as a tomato. You laughed as you slammed the door behind you. Sighing, the smirk fell off your face as a thought came to your mind. Why did everyone like Noctis? First Lunafreya and now Iris? Was there something about the shy prince you were missing… or were you just refusing to acknowledge it?

~!~

            “It’s cute, right? What do you think, Noctis?”

            “Uh… it’s… um… do I _really_ have to be here?”

            “Yes!”

            You frowned at the two in front of you stood as you stood in a black skirt similar to Iris’s plaid one, black fishnets, combat boots, and an oversized black hoodie that you felt yourself drowning in. You had no idea as to why Iris picked out these large clothes for you as you and she were similar in size minus the fact you had more curves than the teenager. Noctis rubbed the back of his neck in annoyance as he verbally and physically expressed how he didn’t want to be here. In fact, he’s mentioned several times how he could still be asleep and resting for the trip to the temple later in the day right now. You were about to agree with him until you saw the disappointed look in Iris’s eyes and told the prince to suck it up.

            “Quit whining and give me your opinion…” You frowned.

            He rolled his eyes before looking at you with dread. “You look like you’re drowning in fabric.”

            “Hm…” Iris said as she did a full circle around you. “I think it’s cute… and you need space to fight in…”

            “Well, to be blunt,” Noctis and Iris looked at you as you began to finish speaking. “I hate this. I hate skirts and dresses as I am, or was, considered a princess for a majority of my life and had to wear them literally every day. And everything you pick out for me, Iris, no offense, is way too big.”

            “I – uh, sorry! I didn’t even consider the fact we may have different styles. And no worries, no offense taken! What kind of clothes do you like?”

            “What about this, _princess_?” Noctis held a pair of black, leathery leggings and a white cropped sleeveless top. You arched a brow as you took the clothing from him. Now _this_ was more your style.

            “It’s more of my style but something is missing…” You continued to eye the clothes. The leggings, though giving off a leathery appearance, seemed stretchy enough for you to move around easily in when battles occurred.

            “What about a cute jacket? Maybe a leather one to go along with the leggings?” Iris offered. You snapped your fingers at her idea and nodded her head.

            “I have a leather jacket I brought from home. You can use it. It’s in the trunk of the car,” Noctis shrugged. You grinned at this.

            “I think I just found my new outfit to travel in!” You grinned excitedly.

            “Great! Now for bras and panties!” Iris shouted excitedly. You and Noctis both groaned at the mention of it.

~!~

_Noctis’s POV_

            “Seriously, how long does it take for girls to change?” Noctis grumbled as him and the other guys sat on the couch in the lobby of the hotel. They had planned to get to the royal tomb before nightfall but Y/N was taking a while to get dressed in her attire.

            “Get used to it. Lunafreya may take even longer.” Prompto joked.

            “Yeah, imagine waiting for her to get ready to go to a royal ball or something,” Gladiolus played along. Noctis just let out a groan at the thought.

            “Though it may take them a while to get ready, it is all worth it in the end,” Ignis cleared his throat as he scrolled through his phone.

            “Yeah, but still-“

            “It was worth it,” Prompto immediately cut off Noctis as his eyes widened as he landed on the person descending the stairs.

            “Damn…” Gladiolus let out a low whistle as his eyes were watching the same thing as Prompto. Noctis looked from his friends and to the stairs where his eyes landed on Y/N. The young woman walked down the stairs towards them in her new clothes. The leggings hugged her legs tightly, showing off her curves. The white cropped top revealed her slim waist but the kicker was the jacket she wore – Noctis’s jacket to be more specific. The large black leather jacket hung loosely on the woman but in a complimenting way. She looked…

            “Amazing! Wow! You’re so pretty, Lady Y/N!” Noctis looked down as Talcott stared star-struck at Y/N.

            “Thanks. Noctis seems to know my taste in clothing,” Y/N winked at Noctis. The prince felt his face heat up at the acknowledgement and cleared his throat.

            “Right, so, shall we go?” Noctis asked, avoiding looking at Y/N in the process. Why did she look so good in his jacket?

            “Indeed. We want to make it before night fall. Y/N are you ready?”

            As Ignis said that, Y/N suddenly summoned her daggers. Everyone’s eyes widened at the sudden motion but Y/N just smirked. “Ready as ever.”

~!~

_Your POV_

            One thing you didn’t think you could get used to were the immense temporary pain Noctis felt after receiving his powers from his ancestors. This was only the second tomb you guys had traveled to and still it hurt you to see him in pain. What was worse you couldn’t do anything to ease his pain. Then on top of that, he was getting these intense headaches that made him cry out in pain and tense up. It freaked you out, none the less. Who could blame you, though? Just a couple days ago he was rumored dead along with Lunafreya. Now that you knew both were alive – and somewhat well – you made it one of your underlying duties to reunite the two. You didn’t think the headaches were deadly but you could never be too sure.

            You sat in the backseat of the Regalia, squished between the prince and his shield once more, as you guys made your way back to Lestallum to stay an extra night before heading off in the morning. Noctis told you guys that morning that he had to visit the God, Titan. Apparently, he was the cause of the headaches and Noctis had to visit him. You weren’t up for meeting any of the Gods but if it would stop Noctis’s pain then you’d sacrifice your dislike of them for his sake. He was your somewhat beloved future brother-in-law after all.

            Noctis was currently having a killer headache as Ignis sped down the road to get back to Lestallum before sunset. The older man refused to drive during night because of the daemons. You watched helplessly as Noctis gripped his head and leaned against the door. His eyes were squeezed tightly together and a frown was on his lips. It reminded you of when he was asleep that night in the tent and looked miserable. Was he having a headache then as well? Carefully, you reached a hand out and gently touched his arm. He jumped slightly from your touch but seemed to overall calm down. You didn’t remove your hand from his arm as you rubbed small circles with your thumb on his skin. Lunafreya used to do this whenever your neck pains started up. It usually calmed you down and you believed it caused your pain to fade. Apparently, Queen Sylva used to do this with Lunafreya and Ravus whenever they were in pain.

            You jumped slightly as you felt his gloved hand come across yours to stop you. He left it over top of yours for a while before removing it from his arm. He straightened his position in this seat and finally looked forward as Lestallum came into view. Ignis glanced back at him through the rearview mirror.

            “You okay, Noct?”

            “Yeah… another headache is all…”

            “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay to wait until tomorrow to go see the Titan?” Prompto asked as he turned in his seat to look at the raven-haired prince. Noctis gave him a gentle smile with a weak nod before turning his head and staring out at the scenery.

            You looked down at your hand that he was still holding – more like gripping – as he rested his chin in the palm of his other hand. You could sense he was still in pain as he gripped your hand but didn’t want to worry the others. Sighing, you let your head fall back on the headrest as you let him grip your hand. You didn’t mind comforting the prince but you just hoped he’d let your hand have a chance to breath before you guys returned to Lestallum.

~!~

            “Arf, arf!” An excited Pryna barked as she found her owner resting in one of the many motels of Lucis. The oracle had just come from talking to Ramuh in hopes of getting him to forge alliances with Noctis. The God didn’t seem up for it as He yet to believe Noctis was the Chosen King. Lunafreya told the God she would try again tomorrow as she was overwhelmed for the day as summoning a God took an extreme amount of energy – and her life – away from her.

            “What is it – oh -Umbra!” Lunafreya said half excitedly as the grey dog followed in behind Pryna. Umbra had been out attempting to locate Y/N but with little success. Lunafreya knew that if anyone could find Y/N, it would be Umbra as the two held a close connection to one another as she did Pryna. Umbra barked loudly as he wagged his tag at his owner. Lunafreya arched a brow as she saw the notebook attached to Umbra’s collar. Noctis had responded to her latest message from her. At the time of the attack, she didn’t think to ask the prince if it was possible he’s seen her sister. Y/N was strong and usually could handle herself. However, Lunafreya held a nervous feeling as no word of her sister came from Umbra or Gentiana. She even tried reaching out to Ravus with no luck as he was too busy assisting the Empire to talk to her. She guessed she’d had to tell him of Y/N’s status when she temporarily returned to Tenebrae after getting Ramuh to agree with her asking.

            “Ah, Noctis responded. Have you… anything from Y/N,” Lunafreya asked, already knowing the answer. The dog’s tail lowered along with his head as he instantly recognized the name of his close – and favorite – friend and his owner’s beloved little sister. Letting out a heavy sigh and swallowing back her tears, the oracle leaned down and unfastened the notebook from Umbra’s collar.

            _Still rolling along. -Noctis_

            Grabbing a pen from the nightstand beside her bed, Lunafreya began to scribble down her reply along with something she wouldn’t know if she would want to know the answer to or not:

            _See you soon. Also, perhaps, is Y/N with you…? -Luna_

~!~

            “Your headaches are guaranteed to go away after we meet this Titan guy, right?” You asked as the five of you walked towards the Regalia the next morning. Ignis had mentioned at breakfast he didn’t know exactly where to go to meet the Titan but Jared wrote it down on his map for him.

            “I hope so…” Noctis said.

            “If they don’t then we know it’s not the big guy and it’s probably a head cold or something. I’m sure it’s not serious, Y/N,” Prompto threw a grin at you which you responded with a blank, unamused expression.

            “If you say so…”

            As you guys reached the parking area, you noticed a red convertible parked beside the Regalia. You didn’t know exactly why, but seeing the car made your heart drop to your stomach. It was as if a horrible feeling came over you. Glancing at the guys who appeared unfazed about the car, you secretly summoned your daggers.

            “Well, fancy to run into you boys again and, ah, I see you picked up someone else along the way!” A man’s voice said from behind you. The boys immediately turned around as you continued to face the opposite direction. That voice… you’ve heard it before. The sound of it caused your stomach to churn as the feeling something bad was going to happen washed over you like a tidal wave.

            Prompto had seemed to have noticed how you had summoned your weapons and how tightly you were gripping on to them. He gave you a slight nudge to tell you to put them away.

            “Ah, a little rude one, is she not?” The man chuckled. “Allow me to introduce myself… Ardyn-“

            “Izunia,” You said as you finally turned around and faced the man you knew as the chancellor of Niflheim. As a sworn traitor and hostage to the Empire for the past 12 years, you taught yourself to know about every person in power in case they ever tried to cross the line with Lunafreya or you again.

                        “Ah, is that… my look how you’ve grown, Lady Y/N!” Ardyn smirked at you, causing goosebumps to appear on your arms. “I thought the disrespectful behavior of yours seemed familiar.”

                “Lady Y/N? How does he know you?” Prompto asked as his eyes widened as he turned to face you. The other men threw curious looks at you as well. You squinted your eyes at the man as you knew he was well aware as to who you truly were, or more importantly, where you originated from.

                “As hostage of the empire, I had no choice but to know him,” You said through gritted teeth, your hands gripping tighter on your daggers, if possible.

                “Ah, you make me sound like a bad person! I’m not the one who betray-“

                “Why are you here?” You cut him off before he could finish his sentence. The man let out a chuckle as he seemed to pick up on what you were doing.

                “I’ve come to show you all the way to the Titan! I figured the sudden uproar at his resting place had something to do with his highness here,” Ardyn nodded his head towards Noctis.

                “No thanks, we’re capable of reaching the Titan on our own,” Noctis said as he shot another glace at you. He didn’t particularly trust Ardyn but he could tell from your disposition that he made you uncomfortable.

                Ardyn let out a chuckle as he walked closer to your group. Instinctively, Gladiolus and Prompto blocked his way to you. At this, Ardyn raise a brow before shaking his head. “Lady Y/N, I bring you, nor you newfound friends, any harm. I’m on your side.”

                “I highly doubt anyone from Niflheim is on our side,” Ignis frowned at the man. Ardyn let out another chuckle at this. You knew he was laughing at you. You’ve been on the prince’s side for the last 12 years despite originating from Niflheim where everyone was taught the Lucis Caelum family were bad news. Hearing Prompto make a small grunt, you turned in his direction. Did what Ardyn say affect him as well? He must’ve didn’t like how he was indirectly coming at you. Then again, why would that bother him as no one in the group knew of your true background?

                “Look, there’s imperial bases you have to cross in order to reach the majestic Titan and what better way to have a smooth ride then have me escort you?” Ardyn smirked. Noctis rolled his eyes at the older man.

                “What do you want in exchange?” Noctis arched a brow.

                “Why, your highness, it hurts me you that you think I won’t escort you for free,” Ardyn pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. “However, you are right. I only ask for one thing…”

                “And that is?”

                “Lady Y/N there will ride with me on the way to the Titan-“

                “No way in hell,” Gladiolus said as he shielded you more. Meanwhile, you arched a brow at the chancellor. What was he up to?

                “Y/N is riding with us because she’s one of us now,” Prompto glared at the man.

                “Ah, then I guess you’ll have to fight through the imperial bases alone then. Such a waste of time. Wouldn’t want those headaches to become deadly along the way, do we?”

                At the mention of Noctis’s headaches potentially becoming deadly, you whipped your head to look at the prince. Your eyes immediately met his azure ones that were filled with worry and screaming at you to refuse to go. Turning back to Ardyn, he arched a brow at you as if waiting for your response. The boys didn’t really have a say whether you would go or not. It was all up to you. Sighing, you put away your daggers and pushed past Prompto and Gladiolus.

                “Y/N, you don’t have to go with him!” Prompto said as you walked towards Ardyn with a grimace on your face.

                “It’s fine. I can handle myself. Besides,” You looked towards Noctis and noticed his fist was in a tight ball. You couldn’t tell if he was having another headache coming on or just pissed at Ardyn. “The sooner your headaches stop, the better, right?”

                Noctis undid his fist as you said this and looked at you again. Nodding your head gently at him, you turned to Ardyn. “Looks like I’m riding with you.”

                “Great,” Ardyn smirked. “Don’t worry, fellas, she’s in great hands.”

~!~

                You frowned as you held down your hair to hide your scar that the wind tried to expose. Ardyn seemed to have noticed this as he shifted his eyes briefly over to you and smirked.

                “Ah, still trying to cover up your true identity, huh?”

                “Eyes on the road, chancellor,” You spat back at him with hatred laced in your voice.

                “So hostile. I thought we were friends, Lady Y/N?”

                “Friends with you? You can kiss my a-“

                “Language,” Ardyn took a hand off the steering wheel and wagged his pointer finger in your face. You tossed his hand aside in response.

                “What is it that you want? Why are you here? Why are you constantly meeting with Noctis? Wasn’t killing his father enough?”

                “Ouch, that hurts me to think you’d think I’d take a parent away from their child,” He pretended to flinch at your words. “However, I’m not the one who killed the king. In fact, the one who killed his highness is an old friend of yours… well more like was now.”

                “What do you mean?” You arched a brow in confusion.

                “I suppose you don’t recall the one who gave you that scar and killed your adoptive mother in the first place do you?”

                Your eyes widened at his words as only one name popped into your mind: Glauca.

                _“Daddy, I wanna be just like General Glauca when I’m older!”_

_“You will be if you succeed in the mission, my child.”_

_**“Let this forever be a reminder of the day you betrayed your country.”**_

                You winced in pain as you felt your scar suddenly begin to throb. Instinctively, you placed your hand on the mark and tried to press down on it for the pain to subside.

                “Oh no, are you in pain? Does the reminder of your betrayal hurt you?”

                “What the fuck…” You inhaled a deep breath as a sharp pain shot through your neck, “Do you want?”

                “Your cooperation, is all.”

                “With?”

                “Well, the Empire is well aware that you’re still alive - you can thank your brother’s training of you for that – and now that I see you’ve teamed up with Noctis, I think the Empire can benefit from you once more.”

                “Why would I help you guys when you tried to kill me as a kid?” You clenched your teeth. It was like with every word Ardyn spoke, the pain in your neck intensified. Your neck pains had been doing well as you haven’t felt as much as a tingle in the past couple of months. So why was the pain suddenly returning now?

                “But did we kill you? No. Listen, Y/N, don’t you miss your dad… your real dad? He’s still alive, you know?” Ardyn glanced over at you just in time to see your eyes widen at the mention of your father. The father who disowned you as a nine-year-old and who was going to watch silently as Glauca attempted to take your life. Despite this, your heart still sometimes ached for the man who took care of you from your infancy up until the attack on Tenebrae. “Ah, did I hit a soft spot?”

                “I don’t have a dad…” You said softly before wincing at the pain in your neck.

                “He misses you, I’m sure-“

                “Bullshit.”

                “He does! What he wouldn’t give to see his only child again? I could give you that opportunity if you cooperate with us once more. I mean, look at how far you’ve gotten us! If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to take over Tenebrae, kill Queen Sylva, and convince the high commander, your _brother,_ to take your life-“

                Ardyn immediately stopped talking and slammed the breaks as you summoned your daggers and aimed one at his throat. He lifted his hands off the wheel in surrender as he slowly shifted his eyes over to you. The deep frown and the fire in your eyes told him you weren’t playing around with his games anymore. Smirking, Ardyn shifted his eyes to the rearview mirror as he watched the car full of guys behind him go into full alert. What caught his attention the most, however, was the prince who was in the driver’s seat. Ardyn’s eyes met his briefly but could see the hatred and confusion the prince’s expression held as he tightly gripped the steering wheel.

                “Tell me, what do you mean to Prince Noctis?”

                “Why the hell does that matter to you?” You spat in Ardyn’s face. Again, he chuckled before taking his hand to wipe your saliva from the bridge of his nose. His sudden movement caused you to bring the dagger closer to his neck, just barely touching his skin.

                “If I were you,” Ardyn lowered his voice as his eyes went slightly dark, “I’d be a good girl and put those away. I would hate for you to make a mistake and hurt me… which would result in the deaths of your beloved sister and, what is he to you, brother-in-law?”

                At the mention of Ardyn, or the Empire, hurting Lunafreya and Noctis, you loosened the grip on your daggers and slowly removed the blade away from his neck.  Glaring at the man, you repositioned yourself in your seat and put your weapon away.

                “Ah, good girl! Now, I say we pull over and catch some Zs before continuing, shall we?” Ardyn smiled as he started the car up again. You didn’t say anything as you tried to move your body as far away as possible from him, leaning against the car door. Sighing, you worriedly looked through the side mirror at the boys behind you. You couldn’t let them nor Lunafreya get hurt. No matter how much you wanted to end Ardyn’s life right then and there, you had to put them above you.

~!~

                “Y/N! Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Why’d he suddenly stop in the middle of the road like that?” Prompto worriedly asked you as he did a one-over to make sure you weren’t hurt anywhere. You guys had pulled over at a motel as Ardyn claimed he was too tired to carry on for the day. Luckily, he didn’t force you to share a room with him and allowed you to return with the boys. Tomorrow, you decided, you would travel with the guys no matter how much Ardyn begged you to ride with him again.

                “I’m fine, Prompto, thanks,” You said nonchalantly as you and the guys sat outside at the small diner in front of the motel.

                “You looked like in you were in pain when we arrived earlier, you good?” Gladiolus asked. You just nodded at him.      

                “Just my neck. No big deal.”

                “You still get neck pains?” Noctis suddenly spoke up. You met his eyes temporarily before nodding your head.

                “Still?” Prompto asked confusedly.

                “Y/N suffered from an incident that left her permanently scarred as a child, am I correct?” Ignis asked as he pushed up his glasses.

                “I said it’s no big deal!” You yelled, startling the boys and several people who sat at the other nearby tables. Pushing the plate of food in front of you away, you stood up. “I’m going for a walk.”

                “Do you want one of us to come-“

                “No, Prompto, Gods. I just want to be alone,” You snapped on the blond before storming off. As you walked past the motel that you guys would be staying at, you saw a group of people standing around a radio that was talking about Lunafreya. Hearing the name of your sister made your body freeze as you unconsciously walked over to listen as well. As you approached, you heard the broadcaster mentioning how the people of Eos were mourning the death of Lunafreya. You blinked in confusion. She hasn’t told anyone yet that she was still alive? Why was she keeping it a secret? Did it have something to do with her completing her official duties as oracle?

                Just as you thought that, the broadcaster began to talk about how Lunafreya was the youngest oracle in her bloodline. Immediately, your mind was taken back to the day she became the official oracle. You were only 13 then and still slightly confused as to what it meant for Lunafreya to be the oracle.

                _Eight Years Ago_

                _You stood beside Gentiana as you watched in awe along with the crowd that surrounded you as Lunafreya came walking down the gardened path that would lead to the trident that would officially give her the powers to make her oracle. People from all of Eos had come to see this eventful day. Lunafreya had been practicing her speech for days with you and Gentiana being her only audience. The 16-year-old was nervous to say the least. When Gentiana wasn’t around, she’d sulk and share her concerns with you about how she didn’t think she was fit to be oracle yet and how she could never live up to her mother or ancestors. Though you weren’t entirely sure what being an oracle included – besides keeping the light in the world from the progressing star’s scourge – you still reassured her that she’d be great, and that Queen Sylva would’ve been proud of her._

_Lunafreya was beautiful in her official oracle attire, you thought. She wore a long white hooded robe with different accents on it. Her hood was covering her styled up blonde hair and silver chains hung from it around her neck. Since she was the youngest oracle and the robes had been passed down since the first oracle of Eos wore them, it was a bit too big for the 16-year-old’s frame. However, Lunafreya pushed through as if it didn’t bother her._

_You looked down at your own attire - a white pencil skirt that stopped at your knee caps, white heels, and a white turtleneck sweater. Though it was the middle of summer, you were advised to wear something that would cover your scar on your neck to prevent questions of how it happened. Since the Empire decided to cover up Queen Sylva’s death with the story of a fire, they feared people would figure out the truth if they saw your unnatural marking. Your hair, which you purposefully kept in a short bob-like cut, was barely long enough to cover the marking. One simple gust of wind could reveal the scar that resided on the right side of your neck. The people attending the event eyed you weirdly as they probably wondered why you were wearing such an outfit in this heat._

_Shaking the thoughts from your head, you looked to the other side of the crowd where Ravus and other Imperials stood. Ravus was staring blankly at his sister as she made her way down the aisle, greeting those who cheered and waved at her along the way. Though his face was expressionless, you knew he was proud of his little sister for stepping up to her oracle duties. Feeling someone looking at him, he looked over to you where his blue eyes met your own. He gently nodded his head at you, which you returned, before returning his gaze to Lunafreya. Your heart sped up as Lunafreya got closer to you. You always admired your sister, but it was in this moment you found yourself truly looking up to her._

_“So…” You softly spoke as you looked up to Gentiana. “Will I become oracle, too, one day?”_

_Gentiana gently smiled at you as she shook her head. “Oracles only run in the Nox Fleuret family…”_

_“I am a Nox Fleuret, though…” You blinked at the messenger._

_“Not by blood, young one.”_

_“Blood shouldn’t matter. I’m part of their family. I was considered a princess. People call me Lady Y/N. I **am** a Nox Fleuret… whether the Gods see me as one or not…” You said sternly before turning away from the woman. You felt her eyes piercing into your skin, but you ignored it as Lunafreya finally reached you. Your eyes lit up as she briefly stopped her walk and walked towards you, clasping her fingers in between yours. She gave you a nervous grin as you nodded your head in reassurance to her. _

_“You’ll be fine,” You said as you let go of her hands._

_“What would I do without you?” She whispered as she stepped away from you, briefly bowing at Gentiana, before continuing her walk._

_Present Day_

                Letting out a frustrated sigh, you walked away from the crowd and began walking down the road alongside the rest area. The sun was beginning to set as orange and pink hues filled the evening sky. The daemons would be out at any moment now, you knew it. Still, this didn’t stop you from wandering away from the haven. What Ardyn had said to you earlier was eating away at you. Why was the empire seeking your help again so many years later? Didn’t they ruin your life enough as is? They murdered your mother, turned your brother against you, killed King Regis, and attempted to kill not only you, but Lunafreya and Noctis as well.  It was too much. You just wanted things to go back to normal. You just wanted Lunafreya to finally be happy with the one she loved – Noctis. To see her happy… it’s all you wanted, and _you_ wanted to give that happiness to her in repayment for all that she’s done for you in the past 12 years.

                “Hey, wait up!” You heard the deep, rough voice of Gladiolus along with his heavy footsteps catching up to you.

                “I said I want to be alone,” You frowned but stopped walking so he could catch up. He inhaled a deep breath before letting it out.

                “You’re a fast walker,” He playfully grinned. However, when he saw you didn’t return the look, it fell from his face. “Are you okay? It seemed like what Iggy said back there hit a nerve.”

                “As I told Prompto,” You placed your hands on your hips and glared up at the muscular man. “It’s no big deal. Geez, why can’t you guys get that through your heads?”

                With that, you began marching off again.

                “We care about you. That’s why,” Gladiolus’s words stopped you once again. “Yeah, you’re Lady Lunafreya’s sister or whatever, but you’ve really grown us all personally in the last couple of days as well.”

                “My goal is not to befriend you guys but to be reunited with my sister.”

                “Well…” Gladiolus rubbed the back of his neck. “That may be true, but you seem to like us as well. I mean… you got so worried about Noct-“

                “Noctis is my future brother-in-law!” You whipped around to look at Gladiolus, tears in the brim of your eyes. “I care about Noctis because he’s important to Lunafreya. He needs to be alive and well when they are reunited so she can be happy again!”

                Gladiolus arched a brow before letting out a heavy breath. “Let’s just go back to the motel. It’s getting dark and the daemons…”

                You balled your hand into a fist as you bit down on your lower lip. Looking up at the sky to now seeing the first couple of stars, you let go of your tension and turned around back towards the motel. Gladiolus only looked as you walked past him, not once looking in his direction. Sighing, he began to follow you.

~!~

                Everyone awakened early the next morning to get to the Titan before nightfall. As you stood beside the Regalia, Ardyn smirked at you while tipping his hat. You clenched your teeth as you glared directly at him. This only caused his smirk to grow wider.

                “Care to take another ride, Lady Y/N?” He asked mockingly – already aware of your answer. Still, he had to be an asshole and ask anyway. Before you could leap to say something – or stab him in his throat with your daggers – a gloved hand gently squeezed your shoulder. The tension in your face released as you looked up at Noctis who was glaring the smirking older man down.

                “She’s with my group so therefore she’s riding with us from now on, chancellor,” Noctis said, his hand still resting on your shoulder. Meanwhile, you found yourself staring at the prince as he defended you from Ardyn. You didn’t need his defense, of course, but still, for some strange reason, it made your heart beat intensely in your chest. Once again, you were finding Noctis to be quite attractive. You immediately tried to push those thoughts away, however, and tell yourself how lucky Lunafreya was to have him and how’d happy they’d be together.

            Coming to your senses, you shrugged his hand off. “I can defend myself. Thanks. No, Chancellor Ardyn, I will not be riding with you today. Thanks for the offer.”

            Ardyn let out a low chuckle before shrugging and climbing into his car. “Suit yourself. Let’s get this show on the road, fellas!”

            “Everything in order?” Ignis asked him and the other two boys followed him from paying the motel for the night’s stay.

            “Great. Let’s go so I can get to Lunafreya before that asshole…” You grumbled the last part with only Noctis hearing. Ignoring your comment, he climbed into the car after letting you secure your seat in the middle.

And with that, you guys were off to make a convergence with the Titan. Little did everyone know, that this would be the first of many on the journey to restore light permanently to the world.


	7. Family Reunion

            _Eight Years Ago (Age 14)_

_You sat across from Lunafreya as she prayed over you guy’s dinner. You watched as her hands held a perfect prayer’s pose while her head was bowed, and eyes closed. Glancing over at Gentiana beside her, you noticed she was standing with her head bowed and hands crossed as well. Even Pryna and Umbra seemed to be acknowledging the prayer as they stopped themselves from eating until Lunafreya finished. It was like this before every meal – Lunafreya praying and no one allowed to eat until she finished. You, who stopped praying to the Gods after the murder of Queen Sylva, asked Lunafreya why she was still thankful of the Gods. She’d only mention something about things happening for a reason – as she knew your reason for the dislike of the Gods – and how as oracle, she had no choice but to communicate with them. She tried to convince you to forgive the Gods multiple times and make you understand their side, but you were too stubborn to make amends with those who consented the death of your mother. Besides Lunafreya asking for you to forgive the creators of the world, Gentiana would also ask for your forgiveness as well. You only scoffed when she asked as you knew she was a direct line to the Gods and reported everything to them. Let’s just say, the Six were aware of your dislike towards them._

_“Young one still hasn’t found in her heart to forgive the Great Six?” Gentiana asked after dinner that night._

_“Oh, I’m sorry? Did they think I would forgive them for ruining my life five years later and making Lunafreya miserable? Nah, I’m good.”_

_“The oracle has a duty to this world she has to fulfil-“_

_“Well, she wouldn’t have to fulfill this duty if the Gods didn’t allow for mom to die, would she, Gentiana?” You glared at the messenger. Gentiana only let out a steady breath as her black pupils met yours._

_“Leviathan and Titan are losing their patience with you…”_

_“How about this? You tell your Gods, specifically Leviathan and Titan, that if they have shit to say to me, **tell me to my face** , instead of sending their little messenger every time,” With that you excused yourself from the room to go prep yourself for bed, leaving Gentiana only staring at you in slight shock. _

_Present Time_

            “Well, I’ll be off! I have chancellor duties to attend,” Ardyn shouted from his car as you guys sat in front of the entrance that would lead to the mighty Titan. It was a dead end and you guys would have to continue onwards by foot. As he said this, you scoffed and turned your head to face the opposite direction of him. “Oh, and dear Y/N, I hope you know that your option of joining us again is still on the table. We could really use someone as _powerful_ as you.”

            With that Ardyn sped off in his car, leaving a heavy trail of dust behind him. A snarl became apparent on your face as his words rang through your head. It’d be a hellish day in the afterlife before you would even consider helping the Empire again. They were the reason you were in this mess as is. It was like you were just surrounded by the people you hated the most. First the Empire constantly on you and the prince’s asses all the time and now you had to visit the Six for Noctis to get his true powers or whatever. Hell, you’d rather fight off the entire Empire than face the Six face to face. Were you scared of them? No. However, you were aware you’ve said some unholy things about them in the past and you knew they knew.

            “What was that all about?” Gladiolus asked as he climbed out the car with you following him.

            “Don’t worry about it,” You said through gritted teeth. “Let’s just get this damn – what is it? – peace offering and leave, okay? I need to find my sister.”

            “It’s not a peace offering. Why would we give the Gods a peace offering? We didn’t do anything to them-“

            “I don’t care. Let’s go,” You cut Prompto off. Irritated, you pushed yourself past everyone and began to walk ahead of the group. The boys all eyed one another in confusion.

            “What daemon crawled up her ass?” Noctis grumbled as he watched the woman make her way up the path.

            “I’d say it has something to do with the chancellor yesterday…” Ignis pushed up his glasses as he began to walk ahead. “No need to ponder what is bothering Y/N. When she’s ready to talk to us then I’m sure she will.”

            Nodding in agreement, the remaining three of the group followed behind Ignis to catch up with you. You, on the other hand, were far ahead of the boys. Millions of thoughts were swirling around your head and each one of them made you want to kill everything and everyone that came into your sight. Without realizing it, you summoned one of your daggers and gripped onto the handle tightly. You could feel the indent of the leather handle making an imprint on the palm of your hand from your tight grip. The words of Ardyn lingered in your head and you only could think of how you should’ve ended him yesterday in the car ride. He threatened to hurt Lunafreya and Noctis but he couldn’t if he was dead, right? You knew the guys didn’t know how lethal Ardyn could be by the way they somewhat trusted him to lead them to the Titan. If they only knew of the sins the chancellor has committed while working alongside Aldercapt, they’d agree to help you rid of him. However, you knew if you told them about your knowing of Ardyn, they’d question how you knew so much about the Empire. Even Lunafreya, who was kept hostage alongside you, didn’t know too much of the Empire’s plans. You couldn’t risk losing their trust by them finding out your true origins. At least not until you were safely reunited with your sister.

            As you climbed the hill, you came to a white bridge where you saw the tomb of one of Noctis’s ancestors. Glancing behind you to see if the others had caught up yet, you slowly made your way towards the tomb. You were curious as to what weapon this ancestor held. When receiving the previous weapons of Noctis’s ancestors, you kind of stood off to the side with the others as Noctis received the power. The thoughts of Noctis being in a temporary immense pain while receiving the weapons crossed your mind. If only there was a way to lessen it…

            As you got closer to the tomb, you noticed it was tilted upright at the end of bridge platform. You reached your hand out gently to touch the white marble where the deceased ancestor rested. Being near the Titan’s resting place where lava constantly flowed through the area, the atmosphere was hot and humid, however, the tomb was cool to the touch. You eyed the sword that was being tightly held onto by the statue. Gulping nervously as you knew you shouldn’t be doing this, you gently reached your hand out to touch the sword. Before your hand could touch it, however, a sudden earthquake hit, causing you to stumble and fall backwards.

            “Y/N!” You heard Prompto yell as the sound of running feet was heard from behind you. Prompto quickly reached you and grabbed your arm to pull you to your feet. Shaking his arm off, you stood up on your own and dusted yourself off. You noticed he was staring at your dagger that had fallen from your hand after the fall. Quickly, you bent down and picked it up, summoning it away in the process.

            “Are you okay?” Ignis asked as he eyed you.

            “Peachy,” You grumbled as you looked over your shoulder towards the tomb and then at the giant charcoaled rock that took up most of the view. You knew the Titan had something to do with the sudden quake. “Anyways, Prince Noctis, I think your dead grandpa or whatever is over there.”

            Noctis shot you a glance before looking past you at the upright tomb. His eyes widened as he pushed himself past Gladiolus and Ignis and towards the tomb. Who would’ve thought a royal arm would be where the Titan rested? The others walked closer to surround the tomb while you stood turned away from the scene. Gladiolus glanced slightly at you as he walked past you, his eyebrow arching at you in the process. You ignored him, however, and continued to look the other way.

            “Who would’ve thought a tomb would be here of all places?” Prompto excitedly shouted. Noctis just nodded as he inhaled deeply to brace himself for the impact from receiving the power.

            “I’m gonna wait in the car,” You said as you began to walk away from the group, hoping to avoid witnessing Noctis suffer. Just as you said this, you paused in your steps as you heard the low, painful grunt escape from Noctis as he took in his ancestor’s power. Resisting the urge to turn around and see the painful look on his face, you began to step forward again.

            “Y/N, wait-“ Before Gladiolus could finish, however, another quake hit. This one being more powerful than the previous ones.

            “Here we go again!” Prompto shouted as he turned to run to a more stable part of the bridge. Fearing for the worse since the tomb was at the edge of the platform where Noctis stood, you turned around in time to see his knees giving out as another headache came upon him. Your eyes widened as you instantly bolted to assist him. However, Ignis grabbed your arm just as you passed him, causing your body to jolt from the sudden stop in motion.

            “Don’t! We got to get away quickly!” Ignis shouted as he tried to pull you away. Fire flared in your eyes at his words as he tried to pull you away from where not only Noctis, but Gladiolus as well, were in danger. As the quakes became more intense, the sound of the platform beginning to break in half filled your ears. Frustrated at Ignis for stopping you, you summoned your dagger again and pointed it towards the brown-haired man, much to his surprise.

            “If you like seeing out of those glasses, I suggest you let go _now_ ,” You said through gritted teeth. Ignis’s eyes searched yours briefly before letting you go. Just as he did, the platform began crumbling underneath everyone’s feet.

            “Noctis!” You yelled as you watched him fall to whatever lay below. Immediately dashing towards the edge, you leapt from it and stumbled on your feet as you met the ground beneath you. Your eyes widened at Gladiolus who had also fallen but was quick to his feet to grab onto Noctis’s hand to prevent him from falling to his death. Running to the edge, you tried to reach your hand out for Noctis to grab onto as well. However, Gladiolus pushed you back in fear of you falling as well. You shot Gladiolus a glare before releasing it as you watched as Gladiolus hoisted Noctis up. Forgetting your anger temporarily, you ran to their sides as they attempted to regain their breaths from the near-death experience.

            “Are you guys okay?” You asked in worry as you looked from one man to another. Gladiolus just nodded his head at you as Noctis continued to take in deep breaths. Everyone’s attention, however, was turned away from one another as the sound of crumbling and moving grounds could be heard. You gasped as you saw the form of the Titan take shape right before your eyes.

            “Holy fuck…” You whispered as you took in just how large the God was. You stared in awe as the Titan said something in some incomprehensible language, his orangish red glowing pupil focused completely on Noctis.

            “Goddamn… this is the Archaean?” Noctis said in bewilderment.

            “Seems like we woke him up,” Gladiolus tried to make a joke that neither you nor Noctis took note of.

            “He’s trying to tell me something… but what?”

            “Hey, Y/N, your sister ever teach you to speak God?” Gladiolus turned to you but immediately rid of his joking demeaner as he saw you snarling at the God above. He was one of the ones who was content with the death of those you loved. He was the one who put Lunafreya through hell and watched as your brother betrayed you. It was him. It was his fault.

            “Noct, are you okay?” Prompto asked as him and Ignis stood from atop of the slope.

            “Is there a way back up?” Ignis shouted.

            “No, but there’s a path! We’re going to try and find a way – Y/N, where are you going?” Noctis turned his attention away from his friends and to you who had already started making your way down the path. You weren’t concerned with finding a way back up just yet. Anger surged through your body as the only thoughts you held was finding a way to confront the Titan. After eight years, you could finally tell him face to face how you felt about him instead of relying on Gentiana to tell him.

            “I’m going to talk to this asshole,” You shouted back towards them. Gladiolus and Noctis shot each other confused glances before Gladiolus dashed off to catch up to you.

            “Try to find a way down here! We gotta go catch Y/N!”

            “Tell her to be safe!” Prompto shouted.

            Meanwhile, you steadily made your way through the path, dodging the shooting lava and the constant falling rocks from the tremors around you. Hearing footsteps that could only belong to Gladiolus and Noctis behind you, you slowed down your speed.

            “I don’t think you should be calling a _God_ an asshole,” Gladiolus said. You shrugged as you all approached a ledge. Looking below the ledge, all you could see was boiling orangish red lava and the steam that escaped from it. Gulping, you nervously looked back towards the group. You weren’t scared of climbing on the ledge or even falling, but when it came to knowing your fall would lead to you being cooked well-done _alive_ , that’s when you had a problem.

            “No room for error,” Noctis said nonchalantly as he positioned himself against the ledge.

            “Wait! Noctis!” You said as you unknowingly grabbed his arm. However, you immediately both pulled back as a slight static went through his arm and your hand. Ignoring it and blaming it on the heat, you refocused your attention to him. “Shouldn’t one of us go first? Like you be in the middle… just in case…”

            “She’s got a point… can’t risk you falling,” Gladiolus suddenly turned to you, “ _Anyone_ falling for that fact.”

            “Yeah, okay, you go first, big guy,” You tried to keep your serious tone as you stepped aside for Gladiolus to go on the ledge first.

            “Ladies first doesn’t apply here, huh?” Gladiolus smirked at you. “Fine then.”

            You gulped nervously as Gladiolus began to slowly make his way across the edge, Noctis following not too far from behind him. Letting out a heavy sigh, you inhaled as you pressed your back against the hot rock. Though you had Noctis’s jacket on, the heat from the rock was powerful enough to seep through it. You told yourself not to look down as you slid against the wall as you knew it would just cause you to freeze up in fear. Finally making it safely across, you let out the breath you had been holding as you bent over and rested your weight on your knees.

            “You good?” Gladiolus asked as he and Noctis watched you regain your composure. You only gave them the ‘OK’ sign as you took one more deep breath before straightening up.      

            “Afraid of heights?” Noctis smirked at you. You only rolled your eyes at him as you pushed past the men and continued down the path.

            After a while of walking, the three of you finally reached the summit where the Titan stood. You stared in awe as the giant God stood before you. You knew the Six were real, but you never imagined what they looked like physically. When Gentiana told you about them, you’d just imagined little balls of light talking shit about you as they floated around in the afterworld or whatever. This, however, never once crossed your mind. The Titan was composed of what looked like thousands of boulders combined then shaped to form a figure of the human body. Metal stuck out from his eye and chest as if he had been impaled – which he probably was but you never paid attention to Lunafreya when she told you the story of the Six. You had to admit, you were a little scared of the giant God. Not only was he bigger than what you imagined but he sort of looked pissed off as well.

            “Hey!” Noctis shouted at the God. “I’m here! What do you want?!”

            “Uh… I don’t think it’s a good idea to-“ You were cut off by the God as he began to talk in his incomprehensible language again.

            “What the hell is it that you want? Quit screwing with my head!” Noctis shouted in response to the God. Suddenly remembering that he was the cause of Noctis’s immense headaches and part of the reason Lunafreya was currently traveling across the world, you swallowed back your fear and turned towards the God.

            “Where the hell is my sister, you rock humanoid?!” You screamed at the Titan. However, he must’ve didn’t like how Noctis and you were talking to him as he balled his hand into a fist and began to aim straight at you and the boys.

            “Holy fuck,” You said as you quickly dodge rolled out the way as Noctis warped and Gladiolus ran for cover. “It was a joke, big guy! Calm down!”

            “I think you pissed it off…” Gladiolus said as both of your eyes widened as the Titan began to float in midair.

            “Rocks can fly now?” You said as you summoned your daggers.

            “I don’t think he likes you referring to him as a rock…” Gladiolus yelled over to you as he pulled out his sword. Before you could say anything in response, your attention was pulled towards Noctis as the Titan raised his foot to stomp him. Your mind suddenly switching to protecting Noctis, you dashed towards him as he used his sword to try and block the impending foot.

            “Y/N, go back! It’s dangerous!” Noctis screamed at you just as his sword connected with the Titan’s foot. You ignored him as you used your daggers to help him push back the foot. Your daggers weren’t that great compared to Noctis’s sword from his ancestors but still, you had to help.

            “It’s…” You pushed harder on the foot. “Fine.”

            The Titan raised his foot once again to stomp on both you and Noctis, much to the both of your fears. It was a struggle just to prevent him from squishing you to death the first time. You glanced around the area to see if there was anything to prevent the incoming impact but couldn’t see anything. Suddenly, you felt a hand grab onto your arm and suddenly you were pulled into Noctis’s chest, his arms shielding your head as the foot made a close approach. Before you knew it, you felt another pair of arms, ones noticeably stronger, grab onto your waist and push you and Noctis out the way. Noctis and you rolled out of the way and looked up just in time to see Gladiolus escape the Titan’s foot as it slammed into the ground, causing tremors around the entire area.

            “Fighting him isn’t going to work! We have to run!” Gladiolus yelled as he ran over to you guys.

            “I was taught not to run away from fights!” You said as you summoned your daggers again, ready to once again attack the God.

            “Well, you’re under my training now and when I say run, you better fucking run or you won’t see your sister again,” Gladiolus screamed at you. Biting your lip and looking back at the Titan who was rapidly preparing another attack, you nodded towards Gladiolus and Noctis and the three of you took off running on the path you had just recently climbed. As you ran, you three desperately tried to escape the oncoming punches the Titan threw. Noctis used his warping power to dodge the punches as you noticed they seemed to all be directed at him. You didn’t know what Noctis had done to the God but whatever it was, it had to be worse than you disrespecting him for the last eight years.

            “Damn, Noctis, you really pissed him off, huh?” You yelled towards the struggling prince.

            “It seems so…” He responded as he dodged yet another attack.

            You guys reached a cliff where Gladiolus quickly hoisted the both of you up. As you helped pull Noctis up another headache suddenly hit him as he fell back to the ground.

            “Noctis!” You shouted in worry as you gripped onto him tighter as you tried to get him back on his feet.

            “Hurry up! We have to go now!” Gladiolus shouted as he helped you bring Noctis to his feet. You glanced back at the Titan to see him using his hand to destroy the stable ground behind you in hopes of catching up to the three of you to make you fall to your deaths. Noctis noticed he was slowing you down by using you as support and fought through his headache as he removed himself from your grasp. You didn’t have time to question him as the three of you tried to avoid being caught in the Titan’s wrath.

            “Go on! I’ll block him!” Gladiolus yelled to the two of you as he used his sword to block the Titan’s hand.

            “Gladdy!” You shouted in worry as you summoned your daggers to help assist him.

            “Just go!”

            Wanting to help in any way possible, you stopped running beside Noctis and ran towards the direction of Gladiolus.

            “Y/N! What the hell?!” Noctis shouted as he turned around as well.

            “I’m not a damsel in distress! Save yourself!” You shouted back. Noctis’s eyes widened slightly at your words before nodding and warping himself to the other platform. Meanwhile, you used your daggers to assist Gladiolus who was struggling to prevent the giant hand from squishing him.

            “You really don’t listen!” He said through a strained smile as he used his strength to push back the hand. You only responded with a smile of your own as you used all the strength you could muster to push. Suddenly, the Titan removed his hand and turned his attention to Noctis who was attacking his other hand by himself.

            “C’mon, we have to get to Noct!” Gladiolus shouted as you both ran in the direction of the prince.

~!~

            _Noctis’s POV_

            “I’m not going to take any more of this crap!” Noctis coughed out as he blocked yet another attack from the Titan.

            “We’re back! Did you miss us!” The peppy voice of Prompto filled Noctis’s ears as he sword met the God’s hand. He let out a small sigh of relief as he finally had help again. Gladiolus and Y/N had yet to appear after fending off the Titan’s hand and he was worried something might’ve happened to him. However, he knew with Gladiolus’s strength and Y/N’s stubbornness, they were probably trying to find their way back to him.

            “Sorry we’re late!” Ignis yelled as he summoned his weapon and ran towards the Titan to lend Noctis a hand. Noctis could feel some of the weight of the Titan lift from him as his two friends began to attack. This caused the Titan to focus his attention not just on Noctis but Prompto and Ignis as well.

            “Why the hell are they here?” Noctis turned his head to where he heard Y/N’s voice as she and Gladiolus ran up to them. His eyes briefly followed hers to where she was looking at only to see Imperial airships making their way to the area and soldiers, both human and magitek, falling from the sky to attack them.

            “Noct, you handle the Titan! We have the soldiers!” Ignis shouted as he turned away from the God and focused on the soldiers that began shooting at the group.

            “You guys handle the imperials. Noctis and _I_ will deal with the rock,” Noctis watched as Y/N ran to Noctis’s side where she vigorously began to attack the hand that had been given him a tough time.

            “What’s your problem with the Gods anyway?” Noctis shouted as he blocked an attack.

            “No time for talk, defend yourself!” Y/N as she blocked the hand from knocking Noctis and her to the ground. Noctis was half focused on the fight but also watching Y/N out the corner of his eye. It wasn’t the first time he’s seen her fight but somehow, with this fight, she put more passion into it. He knew something must’ve happened between her and the God but what was it? She had mentioned something about Luna earlier. Did the Titan know or do something to the oracle?

            “Hey! We have an idea! We’re gonna try freezing him to death! Use your magic, Noct!” Prompto shouted. Noctis nodded his head as he began to prepare a frozen spell.

            “Wait, slow down! You can control _elements?!_ ” Y/N said in shock as she turned her attention to Noctis. Luckily, Noctis looked up just in time to warp over to her to block the Titan’s hand from smashing her. Shaking her head and going back into fight mode, she began to block the attacks again. “Sorry, sorry! I’ll fight him off! Just… do your thing…”

            After preparing the spell, Noctis immediately shot it towards the Titan as he screamed in agony and withdrew himself from the crew. The spell, though aimed at the Titan, affected everyone as frost stuck to their clothing and chattering teeth could be heard. However, the fight was finally over.

~!~

            _Your POV_

“T-that w-was cool! B-but I-I’m so c-cold!” You said as the group huddled back together and looked towards the Titan. You tried to create some warmth from the jacket by closing it together, but it was like an internal coldness that you couldn’t shake.

            “The effects will wear off within a minute or so,” Ignis calmly said as if he were used to Noctis shooting ice out of his hands or something. He probably was, however.

Everyone’s eyes widened in fear, and in frustration from being tired, as the Titan began to cause more tremors around you guys. You couldn’t understand why the God couldn’t just go back to sleep and leave you guys alone. However, light emitted from the Titan and began to swirl around you and Noctis. Confused, you glanced up at the Titan as, for the first time since encountering him, he looked at you.

            _The oracle and chosen king have a duty to fulfil. You know this, human._

            Your eyes widened as what you assumed was the Titan’s voice fill your head. How could you understand him? Could Noctis understand him as well? Before you could turn to see Noctis’s reaction, you felt your body suddenly become heavy as you passed out to the ground.

~!~

            Your eyes opened to see you standing inside a prison cell. The room was lit only by a single ceiling light that flickered ever so often. The walls and concrete floors were a dull gray and the only furniture in the room seemed to be a wooden stool, a sink, and a bucket that you didn’t want to know what was in it. Turning away from the wall and to the darkest corner of the room, your heart almost leapt out of your chest as you saw a woman curled up in it. Her long black hair covered her facial features, but she wore a gray jumpsuit that identified her as a prisoner. Confused as to how you even ended up in the jail, you cautiously made your way towards her.

            “Um…” You said hesitantly. The woman immediately lifted her head in a jolt and turned in your direction. You gasped as you looked at her face. Though it looks as if she wasn’t receiving the proper nutrition, she resembled _you_. She had your same eye color, nose structure, and the soft facial features that you possessed as well. Was she you, however? She looked around your age but slightly older. Where did the Titan send you? Was this a glimpse into your future? How did you end up like this? More so, could you hear yourself?

            “Y/N…” You said your name slowly to the woman.

            “Y/N!” The woman’s eyes widened in your direction. She could hear you. This was you! You reached out your hand towards the future you so she could grab it, but to your surprise, she pulled herself to her feet and ran _through_ you towards the cell door. Confused, you turned around as she gripped the metal bars as feet could be heard approaching the cell.

            “Is it time for the traitor’s execution?” A man’s voice you didn’t recognize say.

            “Almost.”

            You watched as the future you turned around and held the same bewildered face you held. Execution? You were going to be executed in the future? Traitor? Did the Empire… finally catch you? Before you could figure out more of what was happening, your vision became blurry again as you felt lightheaded. The last thing you saw was seemingly the future you walk in your direction, her eyes staring holes into your own.

~!~

            _Several Days Later (Lunafreya’s POV)_

Lunafreya stared blankly at the empty bed across from her own. While she was gone, the maids had come and cleaned the room, erasing the last traces of Y/N. The bed linen had been washed and changed, Y/N’s shoes that she kept tucked under the bed were gone, and the personal accessories that she kept scattered on the nightstand had been tossed away. The entire country of Tenebrae was under the assumption that Y/N had passed away in the attack on Insomnia. After Lunafreya had returned to her home after summoning Ramuh, all over the news was the mentioning of the deaths of the two former princesses. The blonde woman watched as reporters interviewed locals and how they all felt sorry for Ravus who lost both of his sisters in the attack. Lunafreya couldn’t help but frown as they pitied him. She knew it was because of her – _their_ – brother that she currently didn’t know about Y/N’s whereabouts or even if she was _alive_. It’s been nearly a week since she sent Umbra out with a reply to Noctis and even he’s yet to return.

            Lunafreya sniffed back a tear as she turned her head to look out the window in her bedroom as the sun began to set. She knew as oracle she couldn’t show weakness – especially with eyes constantly being on her. She knew she couldn’t let the worry of not knowing her sister’s wellbeing get in the way from helping Noctis fulfill his duty as the chosen king. She knew she was expected to lack emotions and do her job. However, it was difficult to do so when the one she’s looked over and promised to protect since the age of 9 suddenly goes missing. Lunafreya felt as if she failed her sister – one of the most important people to her. A tear managed to escape the oracle’s eye as her mind flashed a picture of the 21-year-old woman smiling at her brightly.

            Feeling the presence of Gentiana in the room, Lunafreya quickly brushed the tear away and looked over to the messenger. Gentiana did a slight bow before looking at the oracle. “Umbra has located the chosen king.”

            Lunafreya’s blue eyes widened at her words as she hastily stood up from the bed and ran over to the woman. Without thinking, she grabbed onto the messenger’s sleeved arm and searched her emotionless black eyes with her pleading ones. “Is he okay? Is Y/N with him?”

            Gentiana placed a gentle hand on Lunafreya’s hand, causing shiver to go down her spine. Gentiana wasn’t of human descent and lacked the body heat that humans held. Lunafreya found this out when she was only six and wanted to hold hands with the messenger. When she did, however, she described it as holding hands with an ice cube. Ignoring the shiver, Lunafreya waited for Gentiana to deliver either good news or something she would dread to hear.

            “I am unsure. I will be meeting with Umbra before he delivers the message to the chosen king. However, oracle, it is time you prepare for your trip to Altissia.”

            Lunafreya bit down on her lip as she removed herself from Gentiana. “What if… what if Y/N is alive and she’s coming back here? Shouldn’t I wait for her here? To let her know I’m safe? To see that _she’s_ sa-“

            “If Lady Y/N is with the chosen king, then you both will be reunited in Altissia.”

            “Can’t I go with you? To see for myself?” Lunafreya asked, though, she already knew the divine messenger’s answer. Gentiana just gently shook her head.

            “The First Secretary is awaiting your arrival and the Empire will not allow you to stray too far from them. They are both expecting you to awaken the Leviathan.”

            Lunafreya felt tears prickle in the corner of her eyes as Gentiana’s words sunk in. She just wanted to know if Y/N was safe. Was that too much to ask? She knew the Empire didn’t care about the wellbeing of Y/N and, apparently, neither did those around. She even begun to question if Gentiana worried about the woman. Sure, they didn’t get along at times, but she always believed deep down they cared for one another. Sucking in a deep breath to swallow back her true emotions, she looked up into the eyes of Gentiana and gave her a small smile.

            “Do as you wish. I will wait here until you return, and we can depart to Altissia,” Lunafreya said as she bowed slightly to the woman and exited the room.

~!~

            _Your POV_

            You let out a distressed sigh as you leaned against the Chocobo you had rented earlier along with the boys. All of you were stuck at some place called the Wiz Chocobo Post or something because, apparently, the Regalia got stolen. How it got stolen? You honestly had no clue since you had no memory of the events from where you passed out and didn’t awaken until the next day. Noctis and Prompto tried their best to fill you in on what happened. Ardyn had come to “rescue” you all after the Titan began to prepare another attack on the party. When they told you this, you told them that Ardyn was not someone to be trusted. However, instead of giving you some spiel on there was no other way out and they had no choice to trust them, they told you they believed you. Ardyn had told them that he was the chancellor for Niflheim, something only you had known previously. After catching up on the events, Noctis had left to go talk to Gladiolus who had been on the phone with Cindy, trying to figure out if anyone had seen the royal car. After he left, Prompto motioned you closer to him so he could tell you something else. Confused but curious, you had leaned in closer to the blond male.

            _“That’s not all. Noct really didn’t trust that Ardyn dude near you especially after what happened with the car thing. Noctis held onto you the entire ride here. Not once did he leave you out of his eyesight or let Ardyn get too close to you. I’ve never seen him become so protective over someone before…”_

_You felt your face heat up as you glanced over to the young prince who was talking with Gladiolus. “I’m his… sister-in-law. Of course, he would want to protect his family…”_

_Prompto let out a light chuckle as he nodded his head to agree with you. “I guess you’re right.”_

The guys and you had been camping out at the Chocobo post for a couple of days now. With no car, there was no way to continue your travels. Sure, renting the chocobos were fine and all but they could only travel but so far before tiring out. So that left you guys returning each day to the post. The breeder of the chocobos told you guys that the more the birds traveled, the higher their stamina became. After being told this, you guys would go on missions for the breeder that were further away from the post. However, as today was yet another dreary, rainy day as it had been for the past couple of days, you decided to rest at the post. Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis were fine with that but it was Noctis who gave you worried glances. You laughed at his concern as you told him it should be the opposite way around since he was an important king and all. He didn’t seem to be up for jokes, however, as he just nodded his head and hesitantly left with the others.

            So here you were, sitting under an umbrella, leaning against your Chocobo who was napping. The yellow bird felt like a giant feathery pillow as you leaned your weight against it. You didn’t technically need rest because you were tired, you just needed time to be away from the boys to think. Since you awakened from the blackout a couple of days ago, thoughts of the futuristic vision you had kept running through your mind. The woman in the dream, the older version of you, how long had she been locked up? Her hair was down to the middle of her back unlike yours that was kept at neck’s length. If that was you, then you must’ve been locked up for some years. It had to be you, however, right? She responded as soon as you whispered out your name. Did you fail in your mission in getting revenge on the Empire? Is that why you were going to be executed? Where was Lunafreya? And Noctis and the others? The vision didn’t make sense to you.

            “Arf!” The sound of a distant dog’s bark rang through your head, causing you to come out of your thoughts. You felt the Chocobo tense underneath you as the barking became closer. Sitting up and looking around the area, your eyes widened as you saw a grey-haired dog, a leather brown notebook attached to his collar, running at the speed light towards you. Immediately hoping up and exiting the tent’s safety from the rain, you ran towards the dog, tears prickling the corner of your eyes.

            “Umbra!” You screamed excitedly as the dog responded with an excited bark. The people who were visiting the post turned to look at you to see what the commotion was all about. Ignoring them, you immediately dropped to the ground and wrapped your arms around the dog’s neck. “Umbra! Oh, my Gods, Umbra, you’re alive! You’re okay!”

            The dog waved his tail happily as you removed from yourself from him but held his face in your hands. His golden eyes smiled at you as you pressed kisses to the top of his head. Pulling back and wiping the tears from your eyes, you noticed the notebook. Lunafreya! It had to be from Lunafreya! If Umbra was here, then that meant he had arrived to see Noctis to deliver a message from Lunafreya. Forgetting that the message was for Noctis’s eyes only and only caring about having some sort of contact with the Oracle, you undid the notebook from Umbra’s grasp and immediately unfastened the lock and began to flip through the pages. Skipping through the pages they had sent previously, you desperately tried to reach the newest message. Just as you  were about to turn the page to read Lunafreya’s response to Noctis’s “still rolling along” message, you froze as a freezing hand gently touched your shoulder. Glancing down at your shoulder, you noticed a pale, feminine hand there.

            “I don’t think the chosen king and oracle would approve of you reading their private messages…” The scolding voice of Gentiana filled your ears. Immediately you stood up and whipped around to face the divine messenger. Though she was scolding you, joy filled your entire body to see her. Before you could shout her name out in happiness, however, someone else beat you to it.

            “Gentiana…” Noctis’s voice was heard from behind you. Turning away from Gentiana, you faced the group of guys who had apparently just came back from their mission. Noctis looked from Gentiana, to Umbra, to you, and finally to the opened notebook you still held in your hands. Briskly walking over to you, he grabbed the notebook from your hands and gave you a slight look of annoyance. Not knowing how to respond and embarrassed from getting caught snooping through their journal, you crossed your hands and bowed your head – something Lunafreya taught you to do when you were clearly in the wrong and wanted forgiveness.

            Noctis didn’t pay you any mind, however, as his eyes scanned the book. After reading the brief message, he looked up to you where you still held your position. Letting out a sigh, he walked over to you, gently took your hands and returned the notebook to you. You shot your head up to give him a confused look as your eyes shifted from him to the notebook. Hesitantly, you opened the book to the newest page.

            “O King of the Stone…” Gentiana said as she addressed Noctis. He and the boys walked past you and over to the messenger as she began to speak to them. However, your attention was focused on the message that Lunafreya had wrote to Noctis. The tears that had built up from seeing Umbra were now spilling out onto the notebook along with the rain, smearing the ink inside.

            _See you soon. Also, perhaps, is Y/N with you…? – Luna_

Understanding why Noctis returned the notebook to you, you sniffed back your tears as you reached for the pen that you knew Lunafreya kept in the binds of the notebook.

            _Lunafreya. I am with Noctis. We will be reunited soon! Please keep safe for now. – Y/N_

“Luna, where is she now?” You heard Noctis ask Gentiana, wanting to know yourself, you closed the notebook and turned your attention on the group.

            “The eye of the storm. When the covenant is forged, the Oracle and the ring shall await their King at the Walls of Water. Stray not from the path.”

            Walls of Water? You blinked confusedly as you tried to think just to where Lunafreya could be heading next. Suddenly, remembering the advertisements for a city surrounded by water in Insomnia along with the announcement of Noctis’s and her wedding, it hit you.

            “Altissia!” Just as you said that, Gentiana had disappeared. Everyone except you blinked confusedly at the messenger’s sudden disappearance. Not letting it phase you, though it did hurt a little you didn’t get a chance to really speak to her, you reattached the notebook to Umbra’s collar and scratched the back of his ear. In response, he licked your face, taking away the tears with it. He whimpered sadly at you as you let out a gentle laugh. “I’m gonna be okay. Reassure Lunafreya of that for me, okay? Make sure she knows we’ll be together soon.”

            The dog barked in response before backing away from you and running off into the woods that surrounded the post.

            “Gentiana. A messenger, a spirit faithful to the Oracle…” Ignis explained to Prompto and Gladiolus who seemed to be confused as to just who she was.

            “And she’s also a pain in my ass…” You mumbled as you rejoined the group. Though as you said it, you smiled slightly as her scolding voice resonated through you. You didn’t know how much you missed her nagging until now. “So… what’s next your highness?”

            “Looks like we have another God to make amends with…” Ignis responded.

            “Is that what we’re calling it now? Making amends with Gods who want to kill us? Gotcha… well, when do we set sail?” You asked.

            “Tomorrow. We’ll also look into finding the Regalia as well to reach Lady Lunafreya,” Gladiolus said.

            “Sounds like a plan,” You smiled at the men sincerely.

~!~

            Your eyes shot open as a sharp pain shot through your arm where your bullet wound was still healing. It had been at least two weeks since it happened but, yet it was still hurting like hell. Since the Regalia was currently missing, the pain meds Prompto kept in the glove department were gone as well. Groaning, you pushed yourself up off the bed that you had been sharing with Noctis and Prompto since you arrived at the post. Your eyes searched around in the dark for a while to notice that one person was missing from the room of sleeping men. And that person happened to be the prince himself. Frowning, you gently got out of the bed in hopes of not waking Prompto up. Slipping your shoes on, you made your way to the front of the trailer and quietly exited. It was at least 2am so the visitors of the site had either returned home or were staying in the other trailers scattered around. Your eyes landed on Noctis who was at one of the tables near the diner. Zipping up your – technically his – jacket to protect you from the night’s cool air and the light rain, you jogged over to where he was.

            “Trying to sneak out, your highness?” You startled him as you removed a chair from the table and plopped down in it.

            His azure eyes met yours before a small smirk came onto his lips. “That’s more so your move isn’t it, _princess_?”

            You groaned as he referred to you as your previous title. “I won’t call you ‘your highness’ anymore if you stop calling me ‘princess.’”

            He laughed gently at this. “Got it. So why are you awake?”

            “My arm was bothering me, so I thought I could find some meds or something but then I noticed you were gone.”

            “Worried about me, were you?” His smirk returned. Meanwhile, you felt your face heat up slightly. Gods, why did he make you blush easily? What was going on? At least it was dark outside, besides from some street lights that shone off in the distance, so he couldn’t see your face.

            “Your headaches have stopped so I don’t see me worrying about you any time soon,” You shrugged him off. He just laughed at your response.

            “I’m glad you’re in a better mood than from the last week or so…”

            “I saw some of my family and Lunafreya will know I’m safe now, so I have reasons to smile. If you think I’m happy now, just wait until I’m able to hug my sister again,” You grinned at the prince.

            “Not if I hug her first,” he teased.

            “I’d slice you up before you even get the chance,” You playfully frowned at him.

            “I think husbands-to-be get dibs first,” He brought his hand to his chin and pretended to stroke an invisible beard to appear as if he was deep in thought. A giggle escaped your lips as you watched him. You didn’t know Noctis had a playful side to him. It was refreshing from the shy, distant demeanor he gave off while traveling.

            “Ah ha! So, you admit it! There will be a wedding!” You pointed accusingly at him. It was dark, so you couldn’t see him properly, but you knew he was blushing. You waited for him to throw a comeback at you but instead, he grew quiet and only the sound of the rain pattering against the umbrella of the table you sat under could be heard.

            “So, uh,” Noctis cleared his throat to break the silence. “You said you were happy now because you saw some of your family earlier… I’m assuming you mean Umbra and Gentiana?”

            “Yeah…” You said slowly. The mood of the conversation suddenly turned from playful to serious and you weren’t too comfortable with that.

            “Um… don’t take this the wrong way but,” He paused for a second before continuing, “I think you should continue to be happy and smile brightly like you did earlier today… because… even if you don’t accept us yet, the guys and, uh, I really care about you and we see you as part of us?”

            You just blinked at him as he scratched the back of his head nervously.

            “So… um, it’s kind of like we’re family as well? We’ll never abandon or betray you… no matter the circumstances. You’re important to us, Y/N… so if something is ever bothering you… don’t shut us out, okay? You can tell us. You can tell _me_.”

            “…” You were speechless as Noctis said this to you. Though it was dark, his cerulean eyes shined through the darkness as they pierced into your own. As you stared back at him, you suddenly tuned out your surroundings around you and only saw Noctis. Your breath halted as you felt your heart rate intensify and your head began to swirl with thoughts about _Noctis_. As you continued to stare blankly at him, you suddenly saw the eight-year-old Noctis sitting in the spot where the 20-year-old Noctis once sat. Shifting your eyes down briefly, you imagined you were in your nine-year-old body where it felt like your heart was going to implode at any moment. Glancing back at Noctis, you abruptly stood from the chair, causing it to fall behind you with a soft thud.

            “We…” Your throat went suddenly hoarse as you tried to get out the only words that crossed your mind. Clearing your throat, you continued, “Can’t be friends…”

            As you said that, you blinked and suddenly the 20-year-old Noctis was in front of you but with the same sadness in his eyes that a younger him held when you said the same thing to him 12 years ago. Shaking his head and letting out a small laugh, he smiled at you. Confused, you shifted your eyes away from him.

            “That’s fine.” He simply said as he got up from the table and walked past you in the direction of the trailer. “We’re in-laws, instead, right? Good night, Y/N.”

            You stood frozen in your spot as he left, his words swarming around in your head. The rain began to pick up as you stood there, soaking you. The pain in your arm that had subsided when you found Noctis was beginning to return, causing you to unconsciously grab onto it.

            “Yeah…” You said quietly to yourself, a tear falling from your left eye unknowingly. “We’re… _in-laws_.”


	8. Beautiful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Cursing? That's about it, I think.

_Pretty._

That was how an eight-year-old Noctis described a nine-year-old Y/N the first time he saw her. Though told she was part of the Nox Fleuret family, she differed from the rest of them. Blonde hair and blue eyes were the dominant features of the Nox Fleurets and every descendant from the family seemed to either possess one or both. However, Y/N, she lacked both features. Her hair was a rich, dark brown that appeared to be black from a distance and her eyes were a light brown that appeared almost hazel when the sunlight hit them just right. She also was shorter than her family members, often having to look up to Lunafreya whenever she addressed her. Y/N also seemed to lack the overt politeness and poise the rest of the Nox Fleurets held. She was more laidback and didn’t seem to take her status as a princess seriously. Noctis knew something was off with her when he first laid eyes on her but, for some reason, he could only think of how pretty and different she was as Queen Sylva introduced him to the two girls.

The young prince had watched on as the girl questioned who he was before being hit by her bowing sister. She apologized as she immediately dropped into a bow. Noctis’s eyes shifted from the older girl to Y/N just as she glanced up in his direction. Again, the word ‘pretty’ floated to his mind as he nervously shifted his eyes away from her. As he did, however, he saw the blonde one walking towards him with a gentle, bright smile on her face and the young prince felt his heart stop at the sight of her. Noctis felt himself blush as the girl introduced herself as _Lunafreya_ or _Luna_ as he would call her. He felt comfortable around Luna, but with Y/N, it was different. There was something about her besides her looks and lack of royal politeness that made her different from Luna and her family. But a young Noctis couldn’t place his finger on it.

_Beautiful._

That was how Noctis – and Prompto- -described Y/N when he saw her in person for the first time in 12 years at Takka’s diner. She was covered in bruises and her arm was bandaged and the clothes she wore were slightly tattered. Her dark hair that he knew used to reach the middle of her back but kept in a neat bun because of her princess status, was now cut into a medium-length blunt bob with the tips of her hair barely brushing her shoulder. He couldn’t see her eyes to see if they still sparkled a hazel color in the sunlight nor could he tell from her sitting at the booth if she still lacked royal etiquette. However, he knew it was her as he noticed the permanent ‘x’ scar on her neck that Lunafreya had told him about in their letters to one another. Without thinking, he had approached the woman who engulfed him into a hug and cried into his chest after recognizing who he was. Beautiful… that’s all he could describe her as when she sat with him and the other guys as she told her story of how she ended up in Hammerhead; Noctis’s azure eyes burning into the woman as he stared at her.

Beautiful was all he could think of when she descended the stairs in Lestallum with her new clothes – one of the items belonging to him. He had felt his heart speed up as it did whenever he received a new response from Luna. Noctis didn’t understand why as he didn’t hold any romantic feelings towards Y/N. Her sister, Luna, was his love. Noctis was almost entirely sure he loved Luna. Even though he was being forced to marry her, he didn’t mind it as he would finally be with her again after 12 years. He looked forward to holding the blonde woman in his arms and be able to feel her warm touch again.

But, if he loved Luna as much as he thought, then why did he catch himself staring at the youngest member of the Nox Fleuret family when she wasn’t looking? Or why when Ardyn demanded her to ride with him on the way to the Titan, he became defensive of the girl. Why did his heart pound whenever she showed concern for him – often putting herself in danger to protect him? Noctis was confused. Couldn’t one think someone was beautiful without holding romantic feelings for them? Y/N was beautiful… but he loved Luna, right?

“We can’t…” Noctis watched as the 21-year-old woman cleared her throat, “Can’t be friends.”

That’s right. They couldn’t be friends. Those words rang throughout his head. The same words that were said to him when he was eight were now being repeated by the same person 12 years later. The _pretty_ girl that an eight-year-old Noctis desperately tried to befriend so he could get closer to her and stop admiring from afar. The pretty girl that Noctis gave up on when she denied their friendship and decided to refocus his feelings on the one who did show him friendship – _Luna_. However, it was the _beautiful_ woman that began to reawaken his slumbering feelings for her. Though Noctis claimed to love Luna, he often wondered if he was _in_ love with her. He wondered this even more as of late with Y/N traveling with them. But when Y/N reminded him they weren’t friends, all Noctis could do was chuckle at it. Of course, they weren’t friends. They never were. They never will be, no matter how much Noctis tries to get past the woman’s protective barriers. He was meant to be with and love Luna whom he could only hope loved him back. Y/N was just his…

“That’s fine. We’re _in-laws,_ instead, right?”

~!~

 

_Ravus’s POV_

“Here’s the car, commander,” An Imperial soldier announced to Ravus as he approached the group. He nodded his head at the soldier to thank him as he continued to approach the car known as the Regalia. The soldiers stepped aside as Ravus opened the car door and began to search the car. He had to find something, _anything_ , that let him know his sister was alive and with the boys. Though the chancellor confirmed Y/N’s wellbeing and safety with the boys, Ravus was still hesitant in believing him. Sometimes Ravus felt like Ardyn couldn’t be trusted. The surrounding soldiers watched as Ravus pulled open the glove compartment and began to search. He let out a frustrated sigh as he only seemed to come across maps, pain meds, and other useless things. If Y/N was traveling with the men in this car, wouldn’t there be some sort of sign of a female presence?

            “Commander, may I ask what it is you’re in search for?” The voice of Ardyn filled Ravus’s ear. Immediately, he turned around from the car to face the burgundy-haired man. “It’s rude to go through others personal belongings, is it not?”

            “Where is she? Where’s Y/N?” Ravus snarled at the man as he removed himself from the car and walked briskly towards Ardyn. With a blink of an eye, Ravus balled his fists into Ardyn’s shirt as the older man just let out a chuckle. “What the hell is so funny? You said she was alive!”

            Ardyn gently patted Ravus’s fists as he smiled innocently at the blond man. “Ah, this is still about your missing baby sister? I said she was fine, did I not? In fact, I met with her about a week ago. Feisty one, is she not?”

            “What did you do to her? Where is she now?” Ravus tightened his grip on Ardyn’s shirt. The man was too calm for his liking. The chancellor was well aware of Ravus’s worried feelings for Y/N. Hell, one of the reasons he ordered for the Regalia to be stolen was not only to prevent the chosen king from reaching Lunafreya, but as well as seeing if there were any signs of Y/N.

            “I don’t appreciate the hostility, high commander,” Ardyn grabbed onto Ravus’s hands and shoved them away from his shirt. With that, Ardyn began to walk away. “When you calm down, we can talk-“

            “Where the hell is my sister!?” Ravus furiously yelled towards the man.

            “Instead of worrying about Y/N, shouldn’t you be worried about your _blood_ sister who is giving her life for the chosen king? My… to lose a mother and soon a sister… must be infuriating. And all for that nonchalant crown prince the Gods decided were worthier of the ring of Lucii than you. Tsk, what a shame. How’s that prosthetic arm of yours, Commander?” Ardyn chuckled as he turned around o face Ravus, tilting his hat to bid him a farewell. “See you around.”

            Ravus balled his hand tight fist as he watched the chancellor leave. Letting out a frustrated scream, he balled his prosthetic hand into a fist and slammed it into the passenger’s side door of the Regalia, causing a decent size dent to appear. This caused the car to shake violently and a piece of paper that had been resting atop the sun visor to fall. Blinking, Ravus removed his arm from the car and picked up the paper to see it was a picture. His blue eyes widened as he saw Y/N sitting beside Noctis, her eyes in bewilderment as if she wasn’t notified the picture was going to be taken. Noctis seemed to have a slight smirk on his face as his eyes met contact with camera’s lens. Ravus grasped onto the picture as tears filled his eyes. It was true. Ardyn wasn’t lying. Y/N was with Noctis. She was _alive_. He had to tell Lunafreya. He had to get back to her. But first, not before seeing with his very eyes that Y/N was in good hands as she traveled with the chosen king.

~!~

            _Your POV_

“Are you sure you’re not gonna come with us to see Ramuh, Y/N?” Prompto asked as he attached his bag on his chocobo, preparing to set out for the journey. You just leaned against the trailer’s door, protecting yourself from the rain, as you nodded at him. “What are you gonna do while we’re gone?”

            “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll run some solo missions or something,” You shrugged as you flicked your eyes over to Noctis. He was attending to his chocobo, however, feeling someone looking at him, he glanced in your direction. Quickly, you shifted your eyes back to Prompto as your face turned red slightly. Prompto seemed to have caught what had happened as he arched a brow at you.

            “It would be dangerous to go alone…” Ignis frowned at you. You returned the same expression.

            “You’re not gonna just up and leave are you, _princess_?” Gladiolus laughed as he exited the trailer from behind, roughly placing an arm around your shoulder. You just smirked up at him.

            “Why would I tell you that?”

            Letting out another chuckle, Gladiolus removed his arm from around you as he reached in the pocket of his vest and removed his phone. Grabbing your hand, he placed the device in it. “To make sure you don’t go anywhere, keep a look out in case Cindy calls saying she’s located the car.”

            “I could easily just leave this here and take off, ya know?” You looked up at the muscular man. He just smirked before ruffling your hair and pushing past you.

            “I have more faith in you than that,” He said as he turned to face Noctis and the others. “Are we ready?

            “Yes! I can’t wait for this weather to lighten up!” Prompto excitedly said as he propped himself up on his chocobo. The bird squawked from the sudden added body weight but Prompto just patted its head to calm it down.

            “Then we’re off,” Ignis said as he yanked the reigns on the chocobo to signal it to begin moving. You watched as they all began to ride off towards the mountains where Noctis had to receive the blessing of the god, Ramuh. Before the events of last night with Noctis, you had the intentions of going to visit the storm God as Gentiana had mentioned Lunafreya had visited him about a week ago. Ramuh, from what Lunafreya and Gentiana told you, was one of the more friendlier Gods. One wouldn’t believe so since He controlled the vicious storms that hit Eos every now and then, but he was kind. You wanted the God to tell you for Himself that Lunafreya was doing fine and looked well. You knew she was worried about you, but you hoped that didn’t influence her health. Also, you wanted to ask Him about the vision the Titan made you have the other day. When and where did the Empire capture you? Where were the others? You held so many unanswered questions.

            However, you couldn’t go today. You needed to be away from the boys – from _Noctis_. You couldn’t explain what came over you last night as you sat out in the rain talking to him. It was a feeling that you haven’t felt since you were nine – when you first met the crown prince. He made you feel as if the air was being sucked from your lungs and your heart had forgotten how to function properly. You had become lightheaded as all your surroundings seemed to only focus on Noctis. He simply was trying to get you to open up to him but the only thought in your head was to run – run like you did so long ago when he wanted to be friends with you. You couldn’t be his friend, however. His sister-in-law was all you’d ever be to him. Even if the tiniest part in you may have wanted-

            _Ring! Ring! Ring!_

You snapped from your thoughts and focused on your vibrating hand as Gladiolus’s phone was ringing. Great, were they calling to check up on you already? They’d only been gone for about five minutes. Rolling your eyes and not checking the ID on the screen, you answered.

            “What? I’m still here,” You frowned.

            “Uh… nice to hear you’re doing well, darlin’! How’s the wound?” The cheery, country-laced accent of Cindy filled your ears. Immediately, you perked up as she could only be calling to deliver news about the Regalia. This was the first time Cindy contacted you guys first in weeks regarding the car, so something must’ve finally came up.

            “Sorry! I’m fine! What’s up?”

            “My crew spotted the ole’ girl yesterday. Said she was being held captive nearby by-“

            “Imperials…” You gritted your teeth as they were the only ones who could’ve possibly taken her. It had to be Ardyn’s doing as you originally assumed. The chancellor wasn’t slick.

            “You got it! So, uh, you and your princely crew better get to her before they do something to her that even _I_ can’t fix, ya hear?”

            “I’ll let them know when they come back…” You sighed as you turned your body to face the mountain they were currently climbing up to meet Ramuh.

            “Oh, alrighty then. See ya’ll soon, I guess!”

            “Yeah…” You said as you removed the phone from your ear.  She said the car was nearby. Wouldn’t it be a surprise if you went to fetch the car and have it waiting for the boys by the time you got back? That, and it’d give you the opportunity to give the Empire a piece of your mind for all the shit they’ve put you through these last couple of weeks. The fight with the imperial soldiers from when you first met up with Noctis and the others wasn’t enough for you. You wanted to watch them suffer. Besides, if you get the car and bring it back in time, the faster you guys would be on your way to Lunafreya.

            Agreeing to yourself that this was a good plan, you walked over to the chocobo pen where the yellow bird you had been riding since your arrival rested. The owner of the post was there, tending to them and making sure they were okay.

            “Excuse me…” You asked as you approached the aging man. He turned around and gave you a grin as he recognized you.

            “Hey there! Lookin’ to take the ole girl for a ride? Where you’re friends?” He asked as he looked behind you.

            “They’re on a mission. Can I borrow her? I need to go somewhere.”

            “Where ya goin’? Shouldn’t you wait for your friends?”

            “No, look, can I use her or not?” You frowned at the man, your patience wearing thin. Why was he asking so many questions? You understood that these birds or whatever were like his children, but you wouldn’t put the animal in danger.

            “Well…” He glanced to your chocobo who seemingly was squawking at you as if she wanted to help you. Well, that’s how you interpreted it, anyway. “Just tell me where ya goin’ so I can tell your friends when they come back.”

            “Just tell them I’m going to get us a better mode of transportation,” You said as you pushed past the man and opened the gate for your chocobo to come out. Immediately, she came running out and stood by your side. You threw the bird a soft smile before gently petting her. “If they need me, tell them to call me.”

            “Well, uh… okay?” The owner blinked at you. “Be careful, young lady.”

            You smirked as you hoisted yourself onto the bird. The only ones who needed to be careful were the imperials who weren’t expecting your visit.

~!~

            “Stay here, okay?” You whispered to the chocobo. She let out a whimper as you glanced at the imperial base from the intermodal container you hid behind. Evening had started to come as the sun began to set for the night, however, this wouldn’t stop you from retrieving the Regalia. You had originally plan to go onto the base and kill anyone – _and thing_ \- you saw on sight but after realizing that there were possible hundreds of soldiers inside, you thought it would be better for you to sneak in, find the car, and _maybe_ take out a few soldiers or so. You couldn’t return the car if you were dead, right?

            The chocobo nudged her head against your arm as she looked at you with worried eyes. You let out a chuckle as you stepped away from the bird and quietly summoned your daggers, startling the bird. “Listen. I’m gonna be fine. Go back to the post, okay?”

            The bird hesitantly backed away as you heard the gate that would lead inside of the base opening. It was time. Shooing the bird away, you stealthily moved in between the large containers to avoid being caught as you neared the gate. Just as they were about to shut it, you quickly ran inside, taking cover behind one of the many large, black containers they had. Glancing around the area, you looked to see what the next safest move was. Noticing another large container on the other side of the base that was near a closed gate, you decided you that should be your next move.

            Just as you were about to move, however, two soldiers came walking in your direction. You squinted your eyes to see whether if they were human or magitek. It didn’t matter either way, you could easily take the out.

            “Here goes nothing,” You said to yourself as you climbed onto the container. The soldiers immediately took notice of you and aimed their guns in your direction. Their eyes glowed red which alerted you they were magitek. As they shot towards you, you hopped from the container and threw your dagger straight towards the eyes of the soldier on the left, making direct contact. It let out an agonizing scream as it fell to the ground and began to die. Ignoring it, you charged towards the other soldier, sliding on the ground and going between its legs as it repeatedly shot bullets at you. You propped yourself up and swung your leg around to knock the thing to the ground. Jumping up, you kicked the gun away from the soldier and stood over him. Without hesitation, you took its head into your hands and twisted it all the way around until it faced you. You briefly searched its emotionless glowing red eyes before plunging your other dagger into its right eye before it could knock you off. You hopped away from the magitek as it began to disintegrate, a black cloud surrounding its body. Smirking, you held out both of your hands, your daggers easily returning to them.

            Focusing back on your mission, you ran towards where the closed gate was. You pressed your body against the frame of the gate as you peeped through the red lasers to see what was on the other side. Your eyes widened as they landed on the Regalia. However, it was being heavily guarded by imperials and their large machinery. The imperials you could handle but it was the large machines with automatic guns attached to them as arms that frightened you. You saw the damage those machines could do in previous battles with the boys. At least then you had their help. For the first time, you were regretting going alone to retrieve the car. But you were here now. As long as you waited for the coast to clear, you could get to the car without being seen. Going with this mindset, you quietly unlocked the gate and snuck in to hide behind one of the containers again. You peeped around the corner to see soldiers, obviously human, laughing around near the car as the magitek ones guarded the area. You couldn’t help but wonder if they snooped through the car or stole something out of it. The thought of them going through the guys’ personal belongings angered you. However, you couldn’t act yet. You had to wait for-

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

            “Hey! What was that?!” You heard one of the soldiers ask as they lifted their guns, ready to shoot at whoever the intruder was. Your eyes widened as you desperately searched your pockets for Gladiolus’s ringing phone. How the hell did you forget to turn it off?

            “Who goes there?!” A soldier who was nearing your hiding spot shouted. Finally getting the phone to shut up, you quietly began walking to the opposite side of the container from where the soldier was approaching.

            “If you do not surrender, we will be forced to shoot!” Another one called out. What you didn’t notice, however, was one of the magiteks guarding the area, climbing onto the very container you hid behind. Its red eyes immediately noticed you and yelled out an ear-wrenching scream to alert the others it found.

            “Fuck,” You said as the magitek jumped from the top and landed in front of you. Immediately it began to swing its axe at you which you avoided with ease. However, gun shots rang around you as more soldiers began to locate you. Your heart racing, you ran towards the magitek and quickly took it down. Running, you removed yourself from your hiding place only to see that you were surrounded by at least 40 imperial soldiers and their machines.  Your heart raced in fear as you eyed them. You knew you only had one option and that was to fight. At least you would die fighting instead of giving up.

            “Lunafreya…” You whispered your sister’s name as you brought your right ring finger to your lips and pressed a kiss to the ring that you held dear to your heart. “Watch over me.”

            With that, you let out a scream and took charge towards the soldiers.

~!~

            _Noctis’s POV_

_“She said something about getting a better mode of transportation? But ole’ girl came back hours ago without her,” The chocobo owner explained to the boys when they returned from their meeting with Ramuh._

_“A better mode of transportation?” Prompto gave the others a confused look before widening his eyes. “You don’t think…”_

_“Cindy found the Regalia…” Ignis said as everyone began to process what that meant._

_“Let me try calling her. She wouldn’t have gone to get the car by herself, right?” Prompto let out a nervous laugh as he began to dial Gladiolus’s number. The guys’ held their breaths as they awaited an answer but to no avail. They knew she didn’t answer when the color drained from Prompto’s face and fear began to take over his eyes._

_“Fuck! We have to go, **now!** ” Noctis yelled to them as he ran to get his chocobo. Without thinking, he immediately climbed onto the bird and tried to take off. _

_“Hold up, your majesty! Calm down. We don’t even know where she nor the Regalia are! Let’s try calling Cindy first to get an idea,” Gladiolus said as he blocked the path of the prince whose nostrils flared in anger. His eyes, however, were filled with worry._

_“I’m calling her now,” Ignis said as he held his phone up to his ear. Noctis’s heart pounded in his chest as thoughts ran through his mind of what could happen to her. Imperial bases were filled with soldiers and machines way stronger than anyone could handle on their own. What made her think she could take on that many at one time? Was her anger towards Niflheim that deep seeded that she’d rather die before meeting up with Lunafreya again? Speaking of Lunafreya, how would Noctis explain to her that her sister died by the same people that took her mother’s life? He had to get to her before it’s too late._

_“Thanks Cindy,” Ignis said as he hung up the phone. “She’s at an imperial base not too far from here. I suggest we hurry. We can track her using Gladio’s phone.”_

_“I’m already on it,” Noctis said as he geared his chocobo from around Gladiolus and took off down the dirt path._

~!~

            _Your POV_

Your eyes grew cross-eyed as your daggers went flying in every direction, finding their way back to you as you tried to avoid the numerous amounts of gunshots, axe swings, and fire bombs being targeted at you. You’d taken down several soldiers already but not enough as you were too busy trying to defend yourself instead of focusing on direct targets. Just as you rolled out of the way of another bomb being thrown at you, a bullet hit you in the same arm where the bullet wound from the train was healing. You screamed in agony as you grasped your arm and rolled onto your back. Your daggers disappeared as your mind went from focusing on them and to the pain in your arm. Imperials began to surround you, ready to shoot, as they saw you writhe in pain. You gritted your teeth at them as you tried to refocus on your daggers coming back. However, instead of the blue light of the daggers appearing, another one did instead. Your eyes widened as a sword magically wiped out three soldiers before Noctis appeared to reclaim it. Gun shots and swords clashing with one another soon followed as the imperials turned their attention away from you and to, who you assume, Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis. Noctis swiftly took out the surrounding soldiers and warped to your side. You flinched as he easily lifted you from the ground and warped you over to the Regalia.

            “Stay here,” He said in a tone you quite couldn’t understand. His voice was always deep but just then it sounded deeper and more… irritated? Ignoring it for now, you nodded your head at him as he removed a bottle filled with green liquid and shoved it at you. “Use this. Just break the bottle.”

            With that, he warped away from you and into the battle to assist the others. You eyed the green drink wearily as you swished around the liquid inside. Confused as to why he wanted you to break the bottle but deciding not to question it, you squeezed the bottle into your hands, its glass shattering from the pressure. However, instead of having a bloodied hand filled with glass, the liquid absorbed into your skin as you glowed green for a second. The pain in your arm died down immediately and a plop of metal could be heard hitting the floor. You glanced down to notice a bloodied bullet lying beside you. Eyes widening, you removed your arm from the sleeve of your jacket and noticed the wound had been completely healed. It was as if you were never shot to begin with. Feeling yourself regain strength, you summoned your daggers as you hopped out of the vehicle and put yourself back into action. The boys had already wiped out half of the soldiers and their machines, leaving only a few to be taken care of. Though you wouldn’t admit it aloud, you were grateful they had come when they did. How they found you would have to be something you’d ask later.

            “Y/N! Are you okay?” Prompto shouted over to you as he dodged a bullet being shot at him. He retaliated by shooting back at the imperial with a direct hit in between his eyes.

            “I’m fine,” You responded as you continued to fight alongside the boys. Imperials came running in left and right as more took notice of intruders. You and the guys were losing energy with all the fighting but giving up wasn’t an option. You guys were determined to retrieve the Regalia.

            “There’s too many of them,” Gladiolus let out a deep breath as you all ran to huddle next to each other in front of the Regalia. You struggled to keep your eyes open as you stood in a defending stance alongside them as more soldiers approached the group. You weren’t kidding when you had said there were hundreds of them within the base.

            “Hold your fire,” a voice you recognized all too well suddenly shouted. The guys’ eyes widened as they watched the imperials immediately drop their weapons and began to make a path for whoever commanded them to walk through. Meanwhile, a fire raged in your eyes as the blond man began to walk towards the group.

            “Uh… guys…” Prompto said nervously as the sight of the man menacingly approached the group.

            “Long has it been, Noctis…” Ravus said as he got closer to the group. Not knowing his intentions with Noctis – and obviously not trusting him after he condoned even you _and_ Lunafreya’s deaths – you put yourself in front of the prince to shield him. Gladiolus seemed to have the same idea as he outstretched his arm in front of you both. Ravus seemed taken aback as Gladiolus shielded you from him but quickly shook it off.

            “Ravus…” Noctis said in a shocked voice. He hasn’t seen your and Lunafreya’s brother since the attack in Tenebrae. You knew Ravus resented Noctis, but you weren’t aware if Noctis knew.

            “I see you’ve received the storm’s blessing… as well as my sister’s…” Ravus flicked his eyes from Noctis to you. Slowly he approached you, but Gladiolus blocked him which caused Ravus to draw his sword and lift it to his neck. Gladiolus gasped as the others immediately tried to run to his defense. “Watch it. All of you.”

            “Sister?” You let out a sarcastic laugh. “ _Sister_? Are you fucking kidding me, right now?”

            Ravus, without removing his sword from Gladiolus’s neck, arched a brow at you. Did he seriously not understand why you were upset? “Y/N…”

            “No. Don’t Y/N me. You tried to have me _killed,_ asshole. You agreed to letting me stay in Insomnia while _knowing_ ,” You removed yourself from behind Gladiolus and summoned your daggers and slowly began to approach your brother. Ravus’s eyes widened as you approached him, lowering his sword slightly from Gladiolus’s neck in case he had to defend himself from you. He trained you – he knew of the strength you possessed. “Knowing the Empire’s plan to bomb to the place! Knowing the hotel that I was staying at was in the bombing zone! You condoned that! But not only that, you condoned the deaths of King Regis, Noctis, and what’s the most infuriating to me, Lunafreya!”

            “That’s not tr-“ Ravus shut up as you lifted your arms, beginning to direct your aim at him. He removed his sword from Gladiolus’s neck as he tried to distance himself from you. A flame engulfed your insides as the thoughts of him being okay with the deaths of so many people, the destroying of a city, but more importantly, the _death_ of his blood sister. It was okay that he had betrayed you. You saw it as karma when you betrayed your own country, however, Lunafreya? She was a completely different story. She was the only one who you felt truly loved you besides Queen Sylva. And you would do _anything_ to protect her from harm – even if that meant the death of _her_ brother.

            “Fuck off and rot in Hell,” You said as you readied to throw the dagger, however, you felt a pair of arms grab hold onto yours and forcefully pushed them down. You were shaking in anger as you tried to fight off whoever had grabbed you.

            “Y/N,” Noctis’s voice said from behind you. At hearing him say your name, you felt yourself relax a little but the urge to harm Ravus was still present.

            “Sist – Y/N, this is not the time to explain what happened or what _is_ happening. Please, come back with me to Tenebrae where we can talk things out with Lunafreya.”

            “Stay the fuck away from my sister,” You yelled as you briefly broke through Noctis’s grip, but the prince immediately grabbed back onto you, this time his arms wrapping around yours as he used his body to restrict you from moving. He was noticeably stronger than you so breaking free wouldn’t be an option. Ravus watched as Noctis held onto you and as you seemed to relax slightly in his grip. He didn’t know why but it pissed him off that you seemingly trusted the prince more so than him, your own brother. Despite the misunderstandings that were between you two presently, he never thought that Noctis would have such a power over you. You were never the type to calm down when provoked unless it was Lunafreya. Hell, Ravus knew at one point of time, you couldn’t tolerate the prince. Why did he suddenly have the same effect on you that only Lunafreya had? Someone… that was of no kin to you. Ravus frowned at the sight. Noctis had already stolen one of his sisters away from him to the point where she was _killing_ herself to see he fulfilled his duties. Now, the Chosen King seemed to be affecting his other sister. Ravus knew all too well that anyone who got involved with the unworthy king would end up deceased.

            “Heir to crown befitting no other,” Ravus said through gritted teeth as he stared Noctis directly in the eyes. “Witness his splendor and glory. All hail the Chosen King.”

            Enraged with Ravus’s sarcastic words, you began to speak out only to stop as Noctis let go of you and walked towards him. “Awful high and mighty for an imperial rat, serving the enemy to hunt down Luna!”

            Within a blink of the eye, Ravus gripped Noctis around his neck, choking him as he spat into his face, “I do not serve. I command.”

            Ignis grabbed onto you as he saw you preparing to attack your brother again. You cursed at him as he held you back as Ravus pushed Noctis backwards - Gladiolus and Prompto immediately running to shield him from harm.

            “The king’s sworn shield…” Ravus’s words seethed in venom.

            “You better believe it…” Gladiolus frowned at the man.

            “A weak shield protects naught,” Ravus said as he instantly raised his sword, ready to slash at Gladiolus. Your eyes immediately widened as Gladiolus just barely shielded himself with his sword. Ravus pushed down on the sword to break Gladiolus’s defense as he watched the muscular man struggle. Anger boiling inside of you, you elbowed Ignis who yelped in pain as you summoned your daggers and charged towards Ravus. Hearing your impending feet, Ravus quickly broke through Gladiolus’s defense and sent him flying back into the Regalia. Quickly, he began to block your attack. However, to his surprise, you gripped onto his sword with your bare hand and used it to flip into the air on the other side to attack. Ravus quickly used his prosthetic arm to block the daggers that were aiming for his midsection. You struggled as you tried to fight against him but to no avail. You glared up into his blue eyes that held anger and worry in them. Prompto and Ignis were tending to Gladiolus who was trying to stand back up.

            “Hey!” Noctis shouted over to Ravus, who turned his attention away from you and towards him. You did, as well, just to see him summon the weapons of his ancestors he’s collected so far. You were amazed as each weapon floated around Noctis as he got into battle stance. “You wanna go? Let’s do this.”

            “Should the chosen fall, that too is fate…” Ravus said as he shoved you to the ground. You cringed in pain briefly before hopping to your feet, ready to help Noctis fight him off. However, just as you were about to take charge, the sound of a voice you slightly hated more than Ravus’s filled everyone’s ears.

            “I say that’s quite enough…” Ardyn said as he approached the group. You deepened the frown that was already on your face as he approached everyone. Why was he here? Ardyn walked past you and smirked as he glanced away and towards Noctis. “A hand, your highness?”

            “Not from you,” Noctis grumbled as he put away his weapons.

            “Oh, but I’m here to help-“

            “Bull fucking shit,” You shouted towards the man. Ardyn only let out a slight laugh as he eyed you. In the corner of your eye, you saw Ravus preparing to come to your defense. This caused you to scoff quietly.

            “It’s true. I’m here to take the army away. The next time we meet, it’ll be across the seas. Just so happens, we have business of our own with the sea goddess, don’t we?” Ardyn looked to Ravus who kept silent. “Fare thee well, your majesty, and safe travels.”

            “Oh, and Y/N,” Ardyn said as he and Ravus began to walk away. “Don’t forget my offer. The imperials could really use _an old ally_.”

            “Leave her out of this, Ardyn,” Ravus frowned towards the older man. Ardyn just smirked as they retreated.

            As they left, you let out a heavy sigh as you looked down at your throbbing, bleeding hand. Grabbing onto the sword may have not been the best idea now that you thought about it.

            “C’mon, let’s go get that cleaned up and find somewhere to stay for the night…” Gladiolus said as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder and directed you towards the car. You just nodded as you let him guide you.

~!~

            Ignis decided that staying the night in Lestallum before heading to Hammerhead in the morning to repair the Regalia would be the best thing. Your hand was currently bandaged up from your wound even though you were giving another one of those green liquid bottles – which Prompto explained to you was some sort of healing potion – that healed the wound almost instantly. No one mentioned what Ardyn had said about you being an old ally to the imperial army on the car ride there. You figured everyone was too exhausted to mention it or, in the best-case scenario, forgotten it completely. The car ride was quiet, however, Noctis was out of character throughout the drive. Usually, he would be restless in the car by sitting on the back hood of the car or fidgeting in his seat as he tried to make himself as comfortable as possible in the tight space. However, he seemed to just stay closed off on his side of the backseat. You tried nudging his arm to get him to at least confirm to you he was okay, but he just ignored it. It hurt your feelings a little to be ignored by him. Was he mad at you about something or was all this shit that was going on just irritating him?

            Even when you guys arrived at the Leville, Noctis went his own way by walking out as soon as everyone was checked in. You had watched him exit the hotel in worry as, one, it was raining heavily outside, and two, you weren’t sure what was going through his head. You knew all too well that when your head wasn’t in the right place, you did crazy things that could harm you or others. Gladiolus told you not to worry about him and get some rest after the long day everyone had. You were grateful the hotel had rooms available so you could have a room to yourself. The last time you shared with Iris, and though you enjoyed the girl’s company, you really wanted to be alone with your thoughts right now.

            Thoughts of what was said between you and Ravus swarmed inside your head as you lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The only light that was provided in the room was the bright moon that shined through the cracked blinds. Ravus had seemed upset that you wouldn’t listen to him but, who wouldn’t be when he tried to kill not only you, but Lunafreya as well? You had every right to see the end to him. Then how he attacked Gladiolus and Noctis? The ones who were seeing that you’d be reunited with your sister? Ravus was dead to you now. He really betrayed you as a brother. It made you wonder again if you were truly a Nox Fleuret if the former prince of Tenebrae didn’t see you as one. It already hurt enough the Gods still considered you a Y/L/N. Though adopted and known to the country as a princess and part of the family, with Queen Sylva dead, did your meaning in the family die alongside her? Lunafreya was the only one who seemed to still acknowledge you but was she enough? Even herself sometimes slipped up and referred to Ravus as just _her_ brother or even Queen Sylva as just t _heir_ mom. Did you really fit in the Nox Fleurets? And if you didn’t, who did you belong to? You abandoned your last name of Y/L/N when your father disowned you. _Who were you?_

            You stumbled out of your thoughts as you jolted upright in bed as a noise was heard from outside the halls. Sneakily, you climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the door. Creaking it open slightly, you peeped your head out into the hallway to see what the noise was. Your eyes landed on Noctis, soaking wet, trying to get his key to work to the room the boys shared next door. You heard him whisper out a frustrated ‘damn it’ as the door rejected his key once again. You watched as he shivered from being wet and continuing to fight with the door. The boys must’ve been heavy sleepers if they didn’t hear all the noise he was making. Deciding to intervene before he awakened the other guests, you slid out of the door and went up to him.

            “Noctis…” You whispered to the prince. He stopped fidgeting with the door and glanced down at you. However, to your surprise, he disregarded you and went back to fiddling with the door. “Noctis, it’s not working.”

            He let out a frustrated sigh as he wiped the water that was dripping from his hair out of his face. You, becoming irritated for him ignoring you and not knowing why, roughly grabbed his hand and began to drag him to your own room. He called out your name to stop as you pulled him along, but you didn’t stop until you were inside of your room with the door closed behind you. You stood in front of the door to prevent him from leaving.

            “Y/N, can you move?” He asked in an exasperated voice.

            “Not until you tell me what your problem is,” You frowned.

            “My problem is I’m dripping wet and freezing and I want to go to my hotel room…” He returned the frown.

            “That’s not the problem, Noctis. Something else is clearly wrong because you’ve been shutting everyone out since we left Ravus!”

            Noctis let out a heavy sigh as he walked towards the door to get through, but you outstretched your arms to prevent him. He glanced down at you with an irritable look as he slid his hand down his face. You knew that he knew he wasn’t leaving until you got an explanation.

            “What makes you think I’d tell you if you can’t even tell me what’s been going on with you?” He gritted his teeth at you.

            “Noct-“

            “You’re right, Y/N. We can’t be friends. Friends don’t hide things from one another. And just as I’m hiding things from you, you’re hiding things from me as well.”

            Your eyes widened as you took in his words. Was he still thinking about what you had said the other night? How could you explain that to him? You already saw Noctis and the others as you friends – even Ignis who you had a strained relationship with. How could you explain to Noctis, however, that you briefly saw him as _more_ than a friend in that brief moment? The answer was you couldn’t. He was in love with Lunafreya as she were him. You couldn’t betray your sister like that. Especially after Ravus already turned against her. Besides, you weren’t even sure of what you felt that night. Maybe those weren’t feelings for Noctis but just your heart being warmed at the idea that he cared about you. Blinking back into reality, you looked up at Noctis and took in his appearance again. He was still shivering, however, his hair stopped dripping but was clearly wet. Sighing, you grabbed his hand and pointed to floor near the edge of the bed.

            “Sit there.”

~!~

            _Noctis’s POV_

Sit there? Noctis blinked confusedly at the raven-haired woman as she pointed towards the edge of the bed. He just – sort of - explained to her why he was upset with her and she’s just brushing it off like that? He watched as Y/N rolled her eyes and exited the room towards the bathroom. Noctis stood in place as he wasn’t sure what the woman was doing. She came back with two towels in her arms and nodded her head towards the edge again to signal for him to sit there. Slowly going along with it, Noctis walked over to the edge of the bed and took a seat on the floor. In a swift motion, Y/N sat on the edge of the bed with her legs on both sides of Noctis. Noctis was confused as to what was going on until he felt the gentle touch of her hands and the towel she had brought out drying his hair. He let out a shiver as her fingers accidentally brushed against the back of his neck. Why was she doing this? Was she not going to address what he just said?

            “Unfortunately… Prince Noctis, I cannot tell you what’s going on with me… if I could and still have your trust, I would… the Gods know I would…” She said quietly as she continued to dry him off. Noctis’s eyes lowered slightly as he heard the desperateness in her voice. He could hear how she wanted to tell him but something was preventing her from doing so. What could it be that would lead him to not trusting her anymore? As many times she’s risked her life in the past couple of weeks traveling with him, he had no choice but to trust.

            “You could never lose my trust…” Noctis said quietly. This caused her to stop briefly before continuing.

            “I don’t want you to hate me,” She let out a bitter laugh. “However, I’ll tell you one day… just… not tonight, okay?”

            Noctis just nodded his head as they came to the silent agreement. Silence fell over the room as she took her time carefully drying different sections of his hair. He knew this was a habit she picked up when she was a kid. Lunafreya explained in a letter to him how Queen Sylva would take the time to towel dry her and Y/N’s hair as children whenever they got wet from the rain. After her death, Luna said Y/N picked up the habit and would dry Luna’s hair whenever it got wet. Luna said it was Y/N’s way of showing that she truly cared for her. Noctis wondered was this Y/N’s way of showing him she cared for him?

            “My dad… I’ve been thinking about what Ravus said about how he commanded imperials to attack Insomnia… and hurt Luna… and kill my dad…” Noctis spoke, breaking the silence between the two. Y/N’s hands stopped moving as Noctis felt her shift behind him. He thought he made her uncomfortable by bringing up his dad or how Ravus wanted to harm Luna.

            “You haven’t had the chance to mourn your father’s death… have you?” Y/N spoke softly. Her words hit Noctis hard as his eyes widened. She was right. He hasn’t had the proper time to mourn the passing of his only parent. He’s felt anger for Regis knowing this was going to happen and sending him off. He’s been angry at the Kingsglaive and others involved for not warning this could possibly happen. He’s been furious at the events that have been going on and how they’re nonstop – how he was thrown into this journey he didn’t ask for. He didn’t have time to sit and think about his father’s passing. Or how Regis made sure that Noctis lived a normal childhood as close as possible. How he would make sure to eat dinner with his son every evening, whether he had kingly duties to attend to or not. He didn’t have time to think about the times Regis would rush to Noctis’s room after the daemon attack where he suffered from night terrors and would stay with him throughout the entire night. Or when Noctis came home from school one day with a C+ grade and thought he failed his father, but Regis reassured Noctis was anything but a failure and would rise to be a powerful king one day. He didn’t think about how Regis made sure Noctis was protected at all times whether it cost him his life or not. And in the end… it did cost him his life.

            These thoughts flooded Noctis’s mind as tears began to stream down his face. He missed his dad – the man who’s raised him to be who he is today and what he would become in the future. The thoughts of not hearing his voice again or him playfully agreeing with Noctis that vegetables are gross or seeing his dull face that was bored from all his meetings brighten up when Noctis entered the room. Noctis wouldn’t see that again. What hurt the most, however, was that Noctis didn’t even properly say goodbye to him. He was such in a hurry to get this road trip thing started, he brushed off his father’s words and ran towards the Regalia.

            Noctis jumped as he felt Y/N wrap her arms around his neck and bring him back to the present day. She rested her head on top of his as tears streamed down his face and onto her bare arms. She didn’t say anything as she held onto him and neither did Noctis. He felt like the pain he was feeling from thinking about his dad was slowly being soothed away by Y/N’s hug.

            “My mom… Queen Sylva… though not my mother by birth, I know a part of her lives through me…” Y/N said softly. “Your dad lives through you, as well. He’s always with you no matter where you go. Please don’t forget that, Noctis.”

            _Beautiful_.

            The word he used to describe Y/N was returning to his head as she held onto him, her words seeping into his mind. Slowly, Noctis lifted his arms to place his hands on top of her arms, letting her know he acknowledged her actions and words. In response, she tightened her grip around him briefly before letting go and climbing around him to get off the bed. She faced the door before turning to Noctis who was still sitting on the floor. As she did, Noctis took in her damped face and weary smile that let him know she was crying alongside him.

            “Your hair is as dry as I can possibly make it. Go see if your key works now and change into something warm, okay?” She smiled at him. Noctis continued to stare at her in awe. The light from the ceiling shined down into her tear-glistened brown eyes, giving them that hazel hue that Noctis took notice of once before as a child. Her was pulled back to reveal the flesh-colored ‘x’ scar that Noctis still saw as beautiful. He felt his heart speed up as he continued to stare at the woman.

            “I’d like to get _some_ sleep tonight. So, if you could,” She motioned her hands towards the door as a look of irritability started become present on her face. However, all Noctis could do was smile gently at her. He finally understood why he thought Y/N was beautiful. Not only were her physical features attractive – but her personality, though stubborn most of the time, was just as beautiful. Other couldn’t see the real Y/N, but Noctis felt he was one of the few who could – just like Luna.

            And that was why Noctis Lucis Caelum was _in_ love with Y/N Nox Fleuret.


	9. To Go or To Stay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for the long wait! Here's the last chapter to be published in 2018! See everyone next year for Chapter 10! Enjoy and Happy New Year!

            _“It is time.”_

            Your eyes shot open as a door burst open with a loud ‘bang.’ Whipping your head around, your eyes widened in shock as two Niflheim soldiers carried in a woman that resembled you. She kicked and screamed as the soldiers rushed her inside, their tight grips on her arm turning her pale skin dark purple from bruising. You watched in horror as they literally threw her in the corner of the small, confined room. She hit her head with a ‘thud’ that seemingly knocked her out upon impact. You stared at her for a second before realizing who the woman was. She was, who you assumed, your future self. The Titan had caused you to dream into the future a couple of weeks ago where you overheard that the woman – _you ­–_ were to be executed. Though the situation seemed futile at the time, you thought the future you would’ve found a way to escape; however, as you looked at your unconscious self, you knew you hadn’t.

            Hearing the laughter of the imperials, you sharply turned your head in their direction with a glare. A fire burning inside you, you attempted to summon your daggers – ready to kill the two men in one sweep. However, your daggers didn’t appear when you commanded them to. Anxiety slowly setting in, you felt around yourself to see if they were tucked away somewhere. Nothing. Glaring back at the soldiers who were casually standing around talking, you decided to use hand-combat. It would be harder to succeed but you were confident you could take them. Running towards them, you attempted to grab the imperial’s arm that was nearest to you only for your hand to go right through his. Stumbling forward to the ground, your eyes widened as you saw they didn’t seem to notice your presence. Getting back up, you tried again to attack only to fail once more. You glanced over at the future you on the floor who slightly budged, you ran over to her. Maybe she could feel your presence. She sort of did before, right?

            “Uh… Y/N… you have to wake up…” You said in a hushed. Not sure if touching her would work, you reached out to see how your hand, just as with the imperials, went straight through her. Cursing under your breath, you stood up and turned back to the soldiers just to see two others come in. A gasp escaped your lips as you took in who they were – General Glauca and your _dad._

“You both can leave now. Jeno and I will handle it from here…” Glauca spoke as the two imperials who had brought the woman in saluted him and hurried out of the room. You were confused. How could Glauca still be alive? You thought Cor had said he perished in Insomnia when you met him? How was your father, fully decked in his uniform that you forever had etched into your mind, here? What was going on?

            “Are you sure you want to be the one to do this?” Glauca said as he and your father turned to look at the unconscious woman on the floor. “I can get someone else or-“

            “As the one who turned her in, it is my duty to dispose of her,” Your dad said in a cold voice that resembled no regret. Turned her in? You? Was your father… the one who caught you and turned you into the Empire? There was no way. You would never let him… he would never get the opportunity. But then, you thought as you glanced back at the woman, how would that explain how you ended up here?

            “What about your daughter?” Glauca asked. “How will you explain her death to her when she’s older?”

            Just as your father was about to speak, the woman began to come to her senses as she slowly lifted her hand to her head. Immediately, Glauca and your father raised their guns and aimed at her. Your eyes widened as you dashed to her side. You couldn’t do anything, you knew this, but you could at least try. To see yourself die by the hands of these evil bastards was the last thing you ever wanted to witness. But… what did Glauca mean by ‘your daughter?’ Did you have a sibling you didn’t know about? That didn’t make sense… 

            “Jeno-“

            “Shut up!” Your dad cut off the stuttering woman as she looked in his direction. “I have this Glauca. This shouldn’t take long.”

            You watched as General Glauca nodded towards your father and exited the room. Your father snarled at the woman as he looked at her as if she was a piece of filth. He slowly walked towards her, gun still raised, as she desperately tried to stand up. Your heart fell to your stomach as you could only watch as she pitifully attempted to come fully back to her senses.

            “Jeno, please,” She begged, globs of tears beginning to spill from her eyes. “You can’t do this! I’m not a traitor! I just want what’s best for our family-“

            “My family,” Your father spat at the woman. “My family, we don’t need untrustworthy people such as yourself.”

            “Jeno, think about the baby! Let me go, please! We can run off together, leave this place behind,” The woman said as she stood up and slowly tried to approach your father. “Please, I just want what’s best for us…”

            You began to tune the woman out as her previous words circled in your mind. Why would… you want to run off with the man who left you behind – who didn’t attempt to stop Glauca from murdering you? There wasn’t a plausible explanation… unless… this woman was…

            “You’re nothing but pathetic scum. Niflheim will be better off without you. _Y/N_ will be better off without you…” You gasped as your father said your name. She was… this lady was…

            “Jen-“ Before the woman could continue to beg, your body froze over as you saw the flash of the gun go off and hit the woman directly in her head between her eyes. Immediately she dropped dead as blood began to gush from the wound. Your father stared briefly at the woman’s corpse before turning around to exit the room, not batting an eye. You stood there in fear and shock as your eyes stared at the door he just walked out of. Shaking slightly, you turned around to look at the corpse on the ground. This woman was…

            Carefully, you approached the body and bent down to examine it. The woman’s hazel eyes stared lifelessly up at the ceiling with her mouth slightly ajar. Again, you noticed she had the same physical features such as yourself aside from the long hair that was now drenched in her blood. You knew that if this woman was you… she’d have one distinct feature. You brought your hands to the right side of your neck where your fingers carefully traced your ‘x’ scar. Gulping, you dropped your hand and slowly pushed back the hair that covered the woman’s neck. You let out a gasp as the skin was bare – free from any scar. This woman was…

            _“Marina Y/L/N was her name,” Your dad frowned as a six-year-old you blinked curiously up at him. “She didn’t love you nor myself. She was selfish. That’s why she betrayed us – betrayed **you**_ **.** _”_

_“Why would **mommy** betray our home?”_

“The same reason you betrayed your home,” You quickly turned from your mother’s corpse to look around as the voice of Gentiana filled your ears. However, before you could respond, the room began to fade into a bright white light before you blacked out.  

~!~

            _Lunafreya’s & Ravus’s POV_

           

            _Lunafreya. I am with Noctis. We will be reunited soon! Please keep safe for now. – Y/N_

           

            The words from the latest message from Noctis – _from Y/N_ – swirled in Lunafreya’s head. She was okay. Her beloved sister was okay. She was with the love of her life. He was protecting her. Lunafreya would see her soon. Everything was going to be okay… at least that’s what Lunafreya wanted to believe. As her body continued to fight off the scourge and awaken the Gods, she could feel herself growing weaker and weaker by each passing day. She wasn’t sure if she would survive the awakening of the Leviathan, but she wasn’t going to give up. Noctis fulfilling his duty as the Chosen King was one of her top priorities. The other being reunited with Y/N, even if just for a little while. She missed her dearly and to know she was alive was a stress-reliever for the blonde woman. She would be reunited with two of the people she held dearly in her heart.

            Lunafreya let out a weak smile as she stood in her field of sylleblossoms. It was her favorite spot in all of Tenebrae. She and Y/N would always come out here to play as children and tend to the flowers. Lunafreya used to chuckle as Y/N would talk to the flowers that weren’t growing properly and telling them they better catch up to the others. She held many memories of Y/N in this field. It was where she could temporarily forget her duties as oracle and just spend quality time with her younger sister.

            “Sister!” The sound of Ravus’s voice rung through her ears causing them to perk up slightly. Why was he back in Tenebrae? Didn’t he have commander duties to tend to – such as glorifying the attempted murder of their sister? The thought of Ravus being in Y/N and her happy place pissed off the woman. Frowning, Lunafreya turned to throw a sharp glare at the older man. “Lunafreya-“

            “Why are you here, Ravus?” She shouted at the man, taking him aback slightly.

            “Lunafreya… what’s wrong? What’s gotten into you-“

            “Our mother told as kids to always be there for one another – never forget where we came from! I know she’s not from here originally but she’s a _Nox Fleuret_ whether you believe she is or not! And to… to attempt to have her killed-“

            “It’s not like that at all! Listen to me-“

            “You may not see her as a sister anymore – especially after finding the truth behind her origins – but she’s _my_ sister. She’ll always be my sister. I’m going to prepare for my trip to Altissia,” Lunafreya said as she began to storm off towards the castle. She had to begin to prepare for her trip to Altissia soon. Gentiana told her earlier they would be leaving before nightfall.

            Ravus’s eyes widened as Lunafreya’s words sunk in. She was going to Altissia to awaken the Sea Goddess, thus, risking her life in the process. At this point, Lunafreya was slowly killing herself… and all for _him_. Ravus already lost his mother to death and Y/N’s trust; he couldn’t lose Lunafreya. “Sister, cease this madness! That boy will never be king!”

            Stopping at his words, Lunafreya turned her head slightly behind her. “Noctis is chosen. It is ordained. _You_ of all people should know.”

            “I know that you’re throwing your life away!” Ravus shouted at her.

            “That may be!” Lunafreya whipped around and shot another glare at the man. A silence fell upon them as the wind began to pick up, blowing some of the petals off the flowers around them. Ravus searched Lunafreya’s eyes that revealed how drained she was from summoning the Gods and healing people from the scourge. However, they also revealed how determined she was to fulfill her calling in life. She wasn’t going to give up no matter how much he begged her.

            “But…” Lunafreya began to speak again as the anger in her voice began to fade. “It’s my choice…”

            Ravus watched helplessly as his younger sister turned away from him and looked towards the sky, as if asking the Gods for her final request. It tore him inside to see not just Lunafreya, but Y/N, throwing their lives away for Noctis – someone who didn’t seem to acknowledge his calling or the sacrifices everyone around him were making. “If only… if only I could hear his voice once more…”

            Tears began to fall freely down Lunafreya’s face as she spoke about her wishes, “If only we could laugh together as we did as children… him, Y/N, and me… I just want to be with them…”

            “Lunafreya…” Ravus said quietly as he slowly approached the crying woman. Gently, he turned her towards him and enclosed her in his arms as she sobbed in his chest. It broke him to see her in so much pain. She didn’t deserve this life. She deserved to be happy with the ones she loved. Ravus wish there was a way he could take his sister’s pain away but there wasn’t. She was the oracle and it was her duty. Just like, though he hated to admit it, it was Noctis’s duty to save the world from the scourge that engulfed it.

~!~

            _Your POV_

_“The same reason you betrayed your home.”_

            Gentiana’s words swirled in your head as you hastily moved to gather your things from your hotel room. You had to get out of here. You _needed_ answers about your mother. More importantly, however, you had to escape from Noctis and his friends before they found out the truth about who you really were. If there was anything you learned from what you saw in your dreams and what happened to you as a kid, _betraying others on this star led to death_. You lucked out twice already; both times involving Lunafreya coming to your rescue. Lunafreya wasn’t around this time and if the _Lucians_ found out about your origins, there would be no stopping them in killing you as you would be seen as a threat to the Chosen King – Noctis.

            Noctis…

            Your hand traced the jacket he had given you to compliment your new outfit you received as a treat from Iris. Though you knew traveling with him would be dangerous, you felt that the danger increased more as time went on. With Ardyn ready to spill your secrets to the boys at any given moment and, more importantly, the way Noctis made you _feel_ – the situation called for aborting. Though you knew Lunafreya was somewhat safe, you still longed to get your revenge on Niflheim for all the mayhem they’ve caused in the first place. You’ve held 12 years of pent up anger and you were ready to release it on them. You wouldn’t be satisfied until you saw the Empire burn down. However, Lunafreya was priority. You knew fighting the Empire would ultimately lead to your death, so you wanted to see your sister for one last time. You’d rather die fighting for your revenge than by the hands of those who’s trust you’ve gained but would eventually break. But Noctis…

            You shook your head as you dropped your hand from the hanging jacket and walked towards the door, your hand pausing as it reached out for the door. Why was the thought of Noctis holding you back? Wouldn’t suddenly leaving without any notice hurt him? Haven’t you hurt him enough in the past couple of weeks? With all his friends and him have done to help you reunite with Lunafreya, wouldn’t this hurt _all_ of them? Wasn’t this worse than them finding out you were from Niflheim – that you _worked_ for the Empire? That it was because of you, Tenebrae was attacked, Lunafreya’s life was restricted to her oracle duties under Imperial watch, the falling of Insomnia, and the killing of King Regis? The killing of King Regis – Noctis’s father. The man that Noctis wept over in the comfort of your arms just last night – something he hadn’t been able to do since his father’s passing weeks ago? It was your fault – all your fault. How could any of them forgive you for that? Ravus barely forgave you when he found out where you truly came from.

_10 Years Ago (Age 10, one year after Queen Sylva’s death)_

_“She has to go, Lunafreya!” Ravus barged into Lunafreya’s and your shared room one night. Startled from your sleep, you both quickly sat up, confused as to what Ravus was talking about. Before you could comprehend his words, he marched over to you and roughly grabbed you by the arm. Your eyes widened in fear as his blue ones bore hatred down onto you._

_“Ravus! What are you doing! You’re hurting her!” Lunafreya yelled as she climbed out of her bed and tried pulling Ravus away from you. Ravus only shook her off, however._

_“Don’t try to save this traitor, Lunafreya. She’s not a Nox Fleuret. She’s **one of them** ,” Ravus snarled as tears began to pour down your face. “Don’t cry now! How can we trust you after all you’ve done?! You could be plotting to kill Lunafreya!”_

_“Ravus!” Lunafreya screamed at the man as she again attempted to pull him off you._

_“Why would I kill my sister?” You wailed as you struggled to remove your arm from his grip. It was dark in the room, the only light coming from the moonlight that shone through the windows and the light from the opened bedroom door. However, you knew there were already purple and blue bruising on your arm from his grip._

_“She’s not your sister. Sisters don’t condone the killing of their mother! You’re just as bad as Regis and that son of his!”_

_“Ravus! What are you talking about? Has the Empire brainwashed you? Y/N didn’t kill anyone! They tried to kill her!” Lunafreya yelled. “You saved her, remember?! We saved her!”_

_“I should’ve let them have their way with you,” Ravus spat as he threw your arm aside, causing you to lose balance and fall back into your bed. “Pack your things. Get the hell out of here.”_

_“Y/N, stay.” Lunafreya sternly looked at you before glaring over at Ravus. “You’ve been brainwashed by those emotionless creatures! Explain yourself!”_

_“Lunafreya, there’s no need to-“_

_“If you don’t explain then tonight you will lose **two** sisters.” Ravus let out a heavy sigh as he ran a stressed hand through his blond hair. His attention turned to you._

_“Tell her,” Ravus commanded. Teary eyed and snot flowing freely from your nose, you sniffed as you used the back of your arms to rub your eyes. You knew they’d found out someday, you just wish it wasn’t so soon._

_“I’m – I’m from Niflheim… my father… he works for them!” You stuttered. You avoided looking up at Lunafreya as you already knew there was shock and disbelief present on her face. “I was being trained under them… to be a soldier in the future. My first mission was to spy on your family… yours and King Regis’s and report back to the Empire. I was told you were bad people that had to be stopped.”_

_“B-but!” You looked up at Lunafreya and directly stared her in her eyes. “You’re not bad! They’re the bad guys! I had no idea they would come to attack! They simply said they were gonna come get me when they felt it was time. I didn’t know they would kill our mommy or hurt you. I’m sorry, Lunafreya. Please forgive me. I’m not a bad person! I promise!”_

_Tears streaming down your cheeks as you turned away from Lunafreya, you didn’t notice her walking slowly over to you. Sitting on your bed, she pulled you in for a hug as you began to wail into her bare shoulder._

_“Your name is Y/N Nox Fleuret. You’re from Tenebrae. You’re the daughter of Sylva Nox Fleuret. I’m not mad at you so there’s nothing to apologize for,” She looked away from you and shot a look at Ravus who was staring at the two of you. “That includes for **our** brother.”_

_“Lunafreya, you can’t-“_

_“Do you believe our mother would allow her to reside here and **risk her life** for her if she didn’t know about Y/N, Ravus? Don’t underestimate her.”_

_Ravus parted his lips to speak but no words came out as he watched you grip onto Lunafreya as if your life depended on it. You were visibly shaking in the 13-year-old’s arms as she rubbed small circles on your back to soothe you. Ravus let out a heavy sigh. Lunafreya was right… you were harmless. There was no way their mom didn’t know about you. Besides, you risked your life to save Lunafreya – someone who worked for the Empire wouldn’t have done that. That was something… family would do for one another. Blinking back his own tears, Ravus slowly approached the two of you. Dropping down in front of you, he wrapped his arms around the two of you._

_“I’m sorry… my sisters. Please forgive me…”_

_Present Day_

You wiped the tear that fell as you remembered that night. Though he apologized and forgave you, you knew he still didn’t fully trust you. That was obvious when he sent you out to get killed. You didn’t want to hurt Noctis again or have him see you in a negative light. Not just Noctis, but the others as well. They’ve been all you had along this journey and every day you risked losing them. To distance yourself from them was the only way to prevent from hurting them. Gripping the door handle, you turned again to look at the jacket that belonged to the prince.

The prince who has been making your heart race as of late as old feelings resurfaced. Feelings you locked away because _Lunafreya_ loved him. Your sister who you were eternally indebted to after all she’s done and sacrificed for your sake. How could you allow yourself to love the prince when the one who mattered the most to you loved him as well? How could you betray her? You’d rather die. The entire purpose of the trip originally was to reunite the two, not fall for _him_. That’s why you had to get out of here. It was dangerous for everyone. You needed answers. You had to leave…

“Y/N? Are you ready? We’re about to leave for Hammerhead…” The voice of Ignis filled your ears. Sniffing quietly and wiping your face, you swiftly turned around to grab the jacket off the hanger. Grabbing the items you had gathered earlier, you opened the door and placed your signature smirk on your face.

“All set to sail,” You winked at the man as you pushed past him to meet the others downstairs.

~!~

            _Noctis’s POV_

Something felt off. The feeling came upon the prince when they were leaving for Hammerhead earlier in the morning. As they were saying their “see you laters” to Iris, Talcott, and Jared, Noctis felt his heart drop suddenly to his stomach. He felt as if one of them… he _wasn’t_ going to see later. As they conversed with Gladiolus and Ignis, he tried to shake off the feeling and say it was just his imagination. They were only going to be gone for a day or two, right? Everything was fine. There was no need to worry. After finding comfort in Y/N last night, he had glanced towards the older woman to see if he could catch her gaze. To his surprise, her eyes were fixated on the floor. Her fingers were gripping the sleeves of her – his – jacket tightly. She had been quiet all morning. The woman would usually be throwing sarcastic remarks at the men, especially Gladiolus. However, she seemed to be even ignoring him. Could she sense something was off as well?

            Noctis continued to think this as they sped down the highway to Hammerhead. Prompto had pointed out how there were more Imperials around than normal, all heading in different directions. However, Noctis took notice how most of them seemed to be heading in the direction of Lestallum. He shook his head as he tried to remove the thought from his mind. Glancing towards Y/N through his peripheral vision, he noticed the woman was looking towards the sky as another aircraft passed over them. She seemed to swallow hard before lowering her head and staring at her hands – more so, the ring that was placed on her right ring finger. Noctis didn’t know the importance of the ring, but he had noticed since traveling with Y/N, she’d fiddle with it when something was bothering her. He wanted to ask her what was wrong – and express his concerns as well – but she didn’t even open up to him last night. Instead, she got him to tell her what was bothering him and that was it. She was still keeping her thoughts bottled up.

            “You’re mighty quiet today, princess,” Gladiolus spoke up as he noticed Noctis worriedly looking at the woman in between them. Y/N didn’t give a vocal response as she just shrugged.

            “Yeah! You haven’t thrown an insult to us or expressed how much you dislike us all day,” Prompto turned from the front seat to look at the sulking woman. “What’s on your mind?”

            “I’m fine…” Y/N’s voice was slightly hoarse from not speaking for an extended amount of time. She gently cleared it before glancing up at the blonde man and gave him a soft smile. Noctis raised his brow at the gesture. Something was wrong. He nudged her arm slightly with his, causing her to suddenly jump from the contact. She looked at him but diverted her eyes to look past him so he couldn’t see her emotions. After flashing him the same soft smile, she focused her attention back on her ring.

            “I’ve been meaning to ask,” Prompto said, “But why do you always mess with your ring? I’ve never seen you take it off.”

            “My…” Y/N swallowed. “Sister gave it to me…”

            “Ah, a gift from Lady Lunafreya?” Ignis asked as he glanced at the woman through the rearview mirror. Y/N just nodded her head.

            “I’m sure she’s waitin’ for you in Altissia! You guys can catch up but first,” Prompto smirked towards Noctis suddenly, causing the prince to arch his brow again. “Noctis should spend some quality time with his wife-to-be, eh? They haven’t seen each other in 12 years after all!”

            Noctis’s eyes widened at Prompto’s words as he quickly turned to look at Y/N to see her reaction. However, to his disappointment, she was back to focusing on her ring.

            “Yeah... my sister… will be overjoyed to see you,” Y/N finally looked up into Noctis’s eyes. Noctis’s azure eyes widened as he finally saw the emotions within Y/N’s hazel ones. He saw confusion, anger, exhaustion, but most of all, he saw sadness. Just as Noctis blinked, Y/N glanced away from him. However, he kept his eyes glued to her. He didn’t know what had happened over the course of the night, but whatever it was, it was clearly bothering Y/N.

            The rest of the ride to Hammerhead was quiet except for Prompto occasionally turning in his seat to ask Gladiolus something. Ignis would through concerned glances to Y/N, who seemed lost in her own thoughts, ever so often. Noctis just let out a heavy sigh as he rested against the door of the car as he tried to swallow down the unsettling feeling he had.

~!~

            _Your POV_

            You sat in the diner as the guys were outside with Cindy discussing the condition of the Regalia – or more like, they were being lectured by the mechanic. She had sent you inside after seeing that something clearly was wrong with you. You had met Cindy when you first arrived at Hammerhead with the group of Insomnian refugees who rescued you. She was the one who patched up your bullet wound and made sure you had somewhere safe to stay for the night. She asked how you ended up the way you did but you were too distraught over the idea that Lunafreya, Noctis, and King Regis were dead at the time.

            Sighing, you looked out the window at the guys. They were clearly worried about you. Prompto tried to lighten your mood in the car about seeing Lunafreya soon, however, that didn’t even cheer you up. You guys didn’t even have a way to get to Altissia yet. The only thing everyone knew was that the oracle was there under Altissian and Imperial watch. You tightened your hand into a fist as the thoughts of the Imperials crossed your mind. Why had there been so many of them on your way to Hammerhead? You had an unsettling feeling in your stomach as you watched them invade the sky, most heading to Lestallum. You couldn’t connect as to why so many were heading in that direction, but it unsettled you.

            It seemed to worry Noctis as well. When you briefly met his eyes in the car, you noticed worry was in them – and not just for you, either. However, you couldn’t stare into the prince’s eyes for too long as memories of the previous night flashed in your mind. Though, just as quickly they surfaced, they began to be overcrowded by other thoughts such as betraying him and the gang with your affiliation with the Empire and betraying your beloved sister as well by having growing feelings for the man she was in love with. You had turned away before he could read too deeply into them. Thoughts of running away again crossed your mind as you sat in the booth. You could easily sneak out behind the diner and hike it towards the nearest train station. It wasn’t as if you haven’t walked long distances before. Of course, if you did this, then you’d be heading right to Niflheim – to Gralea, the capital where the Empire was located. You would execute your plan of revenge as well as finding more information about your mother, but the downfall to this was you wouldn’t have a chance to say goodbye to Lunafreya.

            You let out a quiet, frustrated sigh as you buried your head into your arms. Although you desperately wanted to find out more about your biological mother and how she came to betray Niflheim, you also wanted to see Lunafreya again. You wanted to reunite with her one last time where you would see her reconnect with Noctis after so long. Then you would leave the group and go for your revenge. This was the ideal plan, but how long could you hold up? There were so many secrets and confusion inside of you that you wanted to explode.

            “Penny for your thoughts?” Ignis’s voice filled your ears as you lifted your head up to look at him. Frowning at the sight of him, you dropped your head back down. “Hm, guess not.”

            “Why would I talk to you?” You mumbled out after hearing him take a sit in the booth in front of you.

            “Well, I could see something was or _has_ been bothering you and thought you’d care to chat with someone you’re not too familiar with,” Ignis said as he intertwined his fingers and glanced down at you. Lifting your head back up, you frowned again.

            “Why aren’t you out there overseeing Noctis getting injured or something?” You spat at the man. He briefly looked taken aback before clearing his throat.

            “As we discussed before, Noctis is the Chosen King and he must-“

            “Fulfil his duties, got it. However,” You sat up fully, “You don’t have to watch him get obliterated by these so-called Gods everyone on this dumb star worships.”

            “There’s nothing I can do to assist-“

            “Yeah, okay, Ignis. I get it. You’re his adviser. Your duty is to make sure he fulfils his – whether that ends in his death or not, right?”

            “Y/N, I don’t think you understand-“

            “No, I understand completely. Look, maybe before he becomes king and you become his official adviser, you should learn to be more compassionate. Life isn’t all about fulling duties, you know? Do you think I’d be here right now if I fulfilled my-“ You instantly stopped talking as your eyes widened at your words. You almost revealed yourself to Ignis.

            “Fulfilled what?” Ignis arched a brow at you.

            Standing up and stretching, you shook your head at him. “Just… try to care more about the person you want to protect rather than him fulfilling his duty is all I’m saying. Can’t fulfil his duty if he’s… dead, right?”

            With that, you walked towards the door of the diner to go catch up with the others. Ignis watched through the window as you slowly made your way to the others by the car. Prompto grinned at you as Gladiolus smirked. Noctis, however, seemed to be throwing you worried glances again that you seemed to brush off as you went to lean on one of the gas pumps, an unamused expression on your face. However, Ignis caught something. As he continued to study you, he saw you quickly glance towards Noctis who was already gazing towards you. Immediately, you had shifted your eyes away from his and pushed yourself off the pump. Without acknowledging them any further, you headed towards the trailer where everyone would be resting for the night. Suddenly, Ignis knew why you continuously lectured him on caring more for Noctis’s wellbeing.

            “It would appear… the future king has captured the hearts of both the Nox Fleuret sisters…” Ignis smirked quietly to himself.

~!~

            You lay in the bed of the trailer, wide awake, as everyone else slept around you. The thought of sleeping was the last thing on your mind as thoughts raced a mile a minute. Sighing in frustration, you shifted your body to look at the two sleeping men occupying the other bed. Noctis and Prompto were fast asleep, probably tired from the long drive from Lestallum to Hammerhead. You knew on the floor were Ignis and Gladiolus. The soft snores and breathing of the four men filled your ears as they slept. Turning  onto your back, you stared at the ceiling. The streetlights from outside peeked through the cracks of the closed blinds and casted a small shadow on the ceiling of the trailer. Thoughts of how you almost revealed yourself to Ignis earlier today swirled inside your head. What would’ve happened if you let your frustration towards the older man get the best of you? Would you have not caught yourself from revealing the truth? It was becoming clearer as time passed with the men that keeping the secret was becoming tougher. Especially now that so many other secrets were swallowing you whole. As you thought about your dreams, Gentiana’s words, and your history with the Empire, it felt like you couldn’t breathe. It was as if the more you thought about them, the more they began to consume you.

            Inhaling deeply, you carefully sat up in the bed. Your body tensed as the bed squeaked and movement from below could be heard. After making sure the man – Gladiolus - hadn’t been disturbed from his sleep, you swung your legs over the edge of the bed and slipped on your slippers. Ignis slept at the foot of Noctis and Prompto’s shared bed while Gladiolus slept at yours. Holding your breath, you quietly stepped over the muscular man who was fast asleep. You just needed some fresh air to clear your mind. As you successfully reached the door of the trailer, a cell phone could be heard going off near the beds. Your eyes widened as you swiftly dashed towards your bed before the sound of the ringing phone startled the boys from their sleep. Ignoring the creaking of the bed from your body being thrown onto it, you pulled the covers over your head. You let out a tiny sigh as you heard Gladiolus’s deep, sleep-filled voice quietly fill the room.

            “Hello…?” He answered groggily. You listened as it was quiet for a while before you heard him jump up suddenly.

            “Gladio? What’s wrong?” You heard Ignis’s hushed voice.

            “Wait, Iris, calm down, what’s wrong? What happened-“ Gladiolus stopped talking as, you assumed, Iris cut him off. Your heart began to pound as you could hear the urgency in the usually calm man’s voice. Something was wrong.

            “What’s going on?” Now Prompto’s voice could be heard. You heard brief footsteps before seeing light flood through the room from them being switched on.

            “We’re coming! We’ll be there as soon as we can,” Gladiolus said through the phone. Pulling away, he turned to the rest of the group, “Wake the hell up! We have to get to Lestallum _now!”_

            Not knowing what was going on, you threw the covers off you to see Gladiolus storming out of the trailer as Ignis was grabbing the Regalia’s keys off the counter. Prompto had just shaken awake Noctis, who was confused about the commotion, and was trying to inform him how they had to leave for Lestallum.

            “What – why? What’s wrong?” Noctis asked as he climbed from the bed and began to gather his things as well.

            “Something happened in Lestallum. I don’t know the exact details, but Lady Iris called and is asking we get there immediately,” Ignis said. “I’m going to start the car.”

            Your heart pounded in your chest as thoughts of what could possibly be wrong filled your head. Was everything okay? You mean, of course things weren’t okay if Iris was calling in the middle of the night, requesting you guys to return as soon as you could. But was every _one_ okay? Did it have something to do with all those Imperial ships you guys saw heading towards the city earlier in the day? Did they do to Lestallum what they did to Insomnia…?

            “Y/N, let’s go!” Prompto shouted as he threw your jacket at you. Grabbing it, you nodded your head as you swung your legs from the bed and stood up. Sliding on the jacket and running to grab your shoes, your eyes briefly glanced over at Noctis. His face was filled of worry as he rushed past you and out the trailer. You knew that he could tell something was direly wrong. Preparing yourself for whatever was coming when you arrived in Lestallum, you turned the lights out in the trailer and followed after Prompto as you both exited.

~!~

            It was about 7am when you guys had arrived at the city. The morning sun was already sitting in the sky and everything seemed calm as far as you could tell. However, you knew the calmness also meant something was wrong. Lestallum was usually a bustling city, no matter what time of day. Street vendors, kids, tourists, Insomnian refugees, and the female power plant workers could often be seen littering the streets. However, today everyone seemed to have taken shelter in their homes as the streets were practically empty besides a few stragglers. With them not knowing of Noctis’s status, they only eyed you and the guys suspiciously as you hastily made your way to the Leville. The suspicious looks made your heart pound as they weren’t looks you had received before in your previous visits to Lestallum. Someone had invaded the city in your absence and made the people wary. And you had a feeling as to just who that _someone_ was.

            “Everything looks okay,” Prompto let out a nervous laugh to brighten up the mood.

            “Yeah, well, Iris didn’t sound okay,” Gladiolus said.

            As soon as you guys entered the hotel, everyone witnessed Iris standing in front of the couch of the hotel, her face stained with tears. Your eyes widened as you took in the image of the usually peppy teenager.

            “Oh Gladdy,” She said solemnly. Gladiolus immediately approached his sister as tears began to stream down her face again.

            “What’s wrong?” Gladiolus asked as he placed his hands on her shoulder.

            “I let you down. We… were supposed to be heading to Caem but we never made it…” She sniffed. “The Empire came… while you were gone.”

            “What?” Noctis’s eyes widened as he approached the teen. She looked over at him and more tears poured from her eyes. “H-hey, let’s go to your room so you can explain everything to us, okay?”

            Iris nodded as she removed herself from Gladiolus’s grip and eyed everyone. As her eyes met yours, you felt a chill rundown your spine. Her brown orbs bore into yours temporarily before she wiped her face with the back of her arm and began to lead everyone up the stairs to her room.

            As everyone entered, Prompto gently shut the door behind him as everyone gathered around Iris who was still quietly sobbing in a chair. You looked at all the men and how they were unsure of how to initiate the conversation with the crying girl. Ignoring your feelings from earlier that were still present, you inhaled deeply before walking over to Iris. Gently, you placed a hand on her upper back and began to rub small circles. She had become tense from your sudden, unexpected touch but you felt her calming slightly as you continued to comfort her.

            “They… they came looking for Noctis,” Iris said as she stared down at her intertwined fingers. Tears that fell from her eyes fell directly onto them, seeping into the cracks of her hands. “None of said a word about Noct. They just showed up and then… poor Jared.”

            You hand briefly stopped as Iris struggled said to say the elderly man’s name. Everyone’s breath in the room hitched and the only sound that could be heard was Iris’s sniffs.

            “What do you mean? What happened to Jared?” Gladiolus asked calmly. You solemnly looked over to him and everyone else in the room. Each of you already knew what she meant by her words but still, you knew none of you would be able to accept it unless you heard it come from her mouth. Prompto’s foot was bouncing uncontrollably from the bed he was sitting on as a look of frustration and fright was present on his face. The look confused you as you found yourself staring at him. What was he afraid of? If anyone should be afraid, it should’ve been you. The Imperials, the people you once worked for, took the life of another Insomnian close to the Royal Family. First their home, then their king, and now Gladiolus’s and Iris’s family servant and friend. Your heart dropped before Iris could mention Jared’s death. You at least thought Gladiolus would be able to have a forgiving heart once you revealed the truth – _if_ you revealed the truth. But now? He was going to side with Noctis and the rest of them… again, the Empire killed someone who was an important factor to the men’s lives.

            “There was nothing we could do!” Iris suddenly shouted, causing you to jump from your thoughts and remove your hand from her. You gulped down the lump that was forming in your throat as you took a step back from the sobbing girl. You’d only met Jared a couple of times throughout your adventure with the boys and could tell he was a man that highly respected the Royal Family and sought the safety of Noctis. Before you guys left yesterday morning, Jared was talking about discovering King Regis’s boat in their old hideout in Cape Caem. He was going to travel there with Iris and Talcott for safety. They were supposed to leave today…

            As silence engulfed the room, the creak of the door opening could be heard along with the sniffs of a kid. You knew it could only be Talcott as it was his grandfather. Everyone’s heads turned towards the boy who stood crying in the doorway. Your hand immediately went to your heart as it began to ache from everything that was happening. Looking up, you saw Noctis slowly approach Talcott and squat down to his height. You could tell from his posture that he didn’t really know what to say to comfort him. Besides, he, himself, just recently learned how to mourn over the death of his father. Now he had to try to cheer up someone who admired him as a leader.

            “It’s not right… we should’ve been here…” Noctis said regrettably. You blinked back tears as you heard his words. He was taking the blame for Jared’s death. But why? It wasn’t his fault… if anyone was at fault… it was yours.

            “I-I couldn’t stop them!” Talcott stuttered out as tears still flowed down his cheeks. Noctis let out a heavy, slow breath as he looked at the kid.

            “But… I won’t let the empire get away with it. They’ll pay for what they’ve done,” Your eyes widened at Noctis’s words. Though he was attempting to reassure the kid, you could hear the vengeance in his voice. He was serious. He was going to see the end to the empire. He was going to see the end… to _you_. “I promise.”

            “I believe in you, Prince Noctis…” Talcott continued to cry. Without knowing, you slowly began to approach the kid. He and Noctis looked up at you as you stood before them. Noctis moving slightly out of the way, you crouched down and pulled Talcott into a tight hug. His brown eyes widened before coming overfilled with tears. He gripped onto you tightly as he sobbed into your chest as you tightly held onto him, trying to stop your own tears from spilling out. Why was this happening? Why…?

            “They…” Iris’s voice said from the chair she still sat in. “They were looking for you as well, Y/N…”

            Your heart stopped at Iris’s words. That’s right… you were still wanted by them for escaping the destruction of Insomnia and the train massacre.

            “Why Y/N?” Gladiolus arched a brow at his sister. Iris just shrugged.

            “We figured it was something dealing with Lady Lunafreya, so just as we did with Noct, we didn’t tell them anything. However, that seemed to piss them off even more. One of them said to tell her that her father is looking for her… what did they mean by that, Y/N?” You felt the eyes of everyone on your back. Even Talcott had pulled away slightly and looked at you. Meanwhile, you could feel your mind literally escaping the moment as Iris’s words from the empire rang throughout your head.

            _“Your father is looking for you, Lady Y/N!” A maid said to the nine-year-old you. You were in Lunafreya and your shared room, playing with some cards, when the maid had knocked on your door. Excitement immediately filling your body, you hoped up and opened the door. Only to your surprise, it wasn’t a maid at the door, but an Imperial soldier. Screams could be heard throughout the castle along with a sudden loud explosion from outside. Your eyes widened as you looked past the female soldier and down the hall._

_“Where’s Lunafreya? And Ravus? And King Regis-“_

_“You’ve fulfilled your duty! It’s time to return home with us, young woman,” You could hear the smile in her voice. Shaking your head, you pushed past her._

_“No! I have to find my sister!”_

_“Your sister? My, have you forgotten who you are? Glauca and your dad will be disappointed…”_

            “I… I don’t know…” You said as you mentally returned to the room. Everyone was looking at you, waiting for an answer.

            “Well, Talcott and I are going to Caem. We… we can’t just stay here and do nothing!”

            Noctis sadly shifted his eyes from you to the crying Iris as he let out a shaky breath. “I understand.”

~!~

            That was the final straw. You _had_ to leave tonight. The longer you stayed with the men, the more it was becoming dangerous for you and everyone involved. The Empire had no remorse when it came to killing off Insomnian royalty and those affiliated with them. You couldn’t allow anyone else to get hurt. Frantically, you tore off Noctis’s jacket and tossed it on your hotel bed. Everyone should be asleep by now after the events that happened earlier today. Though your body was mentally and physically exhausted, you had no choice but to leave. Thoughts of dying before seeing Lunafreya for one last time tried to convince you to change your mind, however, you were determined. You wanted your revenge on the empire. At least when Noctis and the other’s eventually finds out where you came from and _who_ you worked for, they’ll know you died being on their side. You’ve always been on their side since the day Queen Sylva took you in. However, now, you had to prove it to them and yourself.

            _Knock. Knock_.

            Your head whipped to the door before dashing to hide the small bag you had begun to pack to take along with you. “Uh… one second!”

            Quickly you shoved the bag under the covers of your bed and walked towards the door to open it. Your heart raced in fear that one of the boys or even Iris had pieced together how you related to everything that had been happening as of late. Gulping nervously, you threw the open to reveal Prompto. Before you could get a word out, he barged into your room and slammed the door behind him.

            “Prompto, what the hell?” You frowned at the male blond. However, the frown softened as he looked up at you with a saddened face. “Uh…”

            “Can I tell you something?”

            You blinked confusedly at the male. “Uh… wouldn’t you rather tell Noctis or someone you’re, I don’t know, closer to?”

            “It has to be you,” He said, “But first, can I ask you something?”

            “S-sure?” You arched a brow at him.

            “How’d you get that scar on your neck?” He bluntly asked. Your mouth fell open slightly as your hand immediately flew to your neck to cover the marking with your hair – something you often did out of habit whenever the scar was mentioned.

            “It’s uh, from an injury as a child…” You said as you turned away from the male. “Isn’t it late? Shouldn’t you be asleep like the others?”

            “Y/N,” Prompto walked over to you. “That’s not a normal scar. How’d you get it-”

            “Why are you here?” You raised your voice at him. You felt your nervousness beginning to turn into anger the longer Prompto stayed in your room.

            “Can you _please_ just answer my question? I need to know-“

            “Get the fuck out,” You said as you removed your bag from under the covers, not caring whether he saw or not.

            “Where are you going? Are you _leaving_?” Prompto’s eyes widened.

            “And what if I am?”

            “Are you from – never mind, if anyone shouldn’t be here… it should be me…” He let out a heavy sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. Stopping at what you were doing, you lowered the bag in your hands and looked at him.

            “What… do you mean?” You asked slowly.

            “Gods, I’m one of them, Y/N. I’m from Niflheim! Born and raised until about age ten when I moved to Insomnia to escape from my family back there. I can’t help but feel guilty… like I’m part of the reason all these events are happening… I feel like I’ve betrayed everyone…”

            Your mouth fell open slightly as the bag you were holding dropped to floor with a soft thud. Prompto looked up at you with angry tears filling the corner of his eyes.

            “I just had to tell someone… who may understand what I’m going through. Someone who doesn’t feel like they belong. I know you don’t like traveling with us, so I thought it’d be easier to tell someone not from Insomnia… though I guess you’d hate me, too, since it was the Empire who separated you from your sister and tried to kill you off…”

            “Prompto…” You said slowly as tears began to fill your eyes. Prompto’s eyes widened as you lifted your hair, revealing to him the flesh-colored ‘x’ scar. Prompto couldn’t help but stare as it was marked almost perfectly. He slowly inched towards you as he stared at it. He could tell it was a deep scar from the way it was raised on your skin, if it would’ve been any deeper, the blade that caused it would’ve definitely hit something important and cause you to bleed to death. “This scar… wanna know what it represents?”

            Prompto blinked as he just nodded his head at you.

            “It represents the day a nine-year-old me decided to betray her country of Niflheim and her love for the Empire to protect those who really cared and loved her…”

            “Y-you’re from Niflheim as well?” Prompto swallowed hard as your words replayed inside his head.

            “I was a special spy for the Empire…”

            “You were there… _you_ saw everything that went down that day in Tenebrae… you-“

            “Caused it?” You let out a bitter laugh as you sat on the edge of your bed, eyeing the ring Lunafreya had given you. “That’s why I tell you guys not to call me a princess…”

            “What?” Prompto blinked at you as you glanced towards him with pain in yours eyes.

            “I’m not a princess… I’m a **_traitor_ ** to everyone around me.”


End file.
